Regality: Continued
by x0Francisco0x
Summary: Takes place where Selene Nightshade's story left off. The King of Neo Domino, Jack Atlas, has 100 days to make Prince Yusei Fudo of the Satellite fall in love with him and become his queen. But if love is just game, can the heart really be conquered?
1. Forsaken

**I read this story a few months ago, and fell in love with it at first sight. I've asked Selene Nightshade for permission to continue her story since she's discontinued it, and she has given full consent. My hope is that what I continue will be as good as the original. So sit back and please enjoy.**

Chapter 7

"What is going on here?" King Hakase demanded. Jack blinked away the shock that was currently constricting his movements, the notion that he had lost a fight still not solid in his mind and making everything feel like one huge blur. He had not missed the words of Hakase, however, and would've responded like a proper king…had he the power to rise from his knees.

The ugly expression that had twisted itself onto Jack's face, though, had not gone unmissed. Hakase recognized his error almost instantly, color draining from his usually tan complexion. Jack did not miss his gaze flicking back and forth from between him and Yusei. He bowed his head, "Forgive me, your Majesty."

Yusei's mother flew past Jack without so much as a sideways glance to get to her child, her small hands clutching his large shoulders. "Yusei, are you all right? There was so much smoke!"

"I'm fine, mother," Yusei said gently, carefully prying his mother's hands from his body so he could step in front of her and face Jack. Shielding her.

No…not shielding. Waiting.

Jack pushed the tip of his blade into the soft earth and began to push himself up, all thoughts disregarded so he could properly focus on standing. But something went wrong. Maybe the earth had been too loose and his sword lost its purchase, or maybe he wasn't as strong in the knees has he thought he was. Jack couldn't tell. All he knew is that he was falling once more, and he wasn't sure he would catch himself.

"Jack!" Warms arms surrounded him. It was like being shocked with a jolt static electricity, painful but rejuvenating. Jack suddenly grabbed the biceps of his rescuer and pulled himself up, groaning as he uncurled his legs and came to a stand. When he unscrewed his eyes, he found himself looking down at the raven haired prince, his blue eyes staring back with…

No. Not devotion. Not worry. This look was completely unidentifiable.

"Perhaps you should call it a night, your Highness," came Godwin's voice. Jack bit back a snarl as a firm hand clapped itself onto his shoulder, rousing him from the strange atmosphere that had settled between the two teens. Jack felt Yusei's arms slip away from his waist, taking the addictive warmth with them. The air suddenly felt colder.

"It has been a long day." The tone of disappointment was unmistakable to Jack, although to an outsider it could've passed as gentle chiding.

_We will speak of this later_, Godwin's eyes said.

Jack wanted nothing more than to throw Godwin's hand from his shoulder and strike him for daring to show such informality in front of outsiders, but he bit his cheek instead. There would be plenty of time for that later. "It has," Jack replied coolly.

Yusei stared at him, an accusatory look in his eyes. The blond king refused to feel the heat of the younger teen's stare, but he knew that Yusei was seeing right through him.

Judai had kept quiet throughout the exchange, but for once, looked content to stay silent. Jack had expected him to begin rattling off the details of the fight and the circumstances under which Jack attacked him, but the shorter brunette said nothing. For some odd reason, that made Jack all the angrier.

_How dare you act as though you know something I don't…_

It suddenly felt as if all eyes were on him now, waiting for him to speak. Jack wanted nothing more than to disappear into the air and vanish into the night, but such skills were not afforded to him.

_Judai won the fight…he actually won the fight…_

Jack looked up when he heard Yusei take a small step towards him, like the prince was sensing the sudden weight that had been dropped on the blond's shoulders.

"Please, allow me to escort you to your quarters," Godwin requested, bowing and gesturing with a hand. He had sensed it, too. This was getting to be too much. Jack grabbed Yusei's hand and pulled him away from the others, deftly spinning him with his back against Jack's chest, arms coming around his waist. He couldn't tell why he felt returning to that pose would somehow return the normalcy, and he was distressed to see it didn't work.

"I bid you all a pleasant evening." And with that, Jack led Yusei away as fast as he could without running.

.o.

"Jack!" Yusei shouted. Any other time, Jack would've be ecstatic to hear his name roll off the prince's tongue, or to be the cause of such chanting in the heated dark of their shared chambers, but right now…

"_Jack!_"

He wanted Yusei to be quiet. Why couldn't he be quiet?

"Stop talking, Yusei."

"No! What on earth has gotten into you?" He tried to pull against Jack's grip, but was no match for the determination of Jack's pace. "Let go of me!"

Jack felt a laugh emerge that would scare the devil itself. It certainly frightened Yusei into pausing for a moment. "I thought we already discussed this, Yusei. I'm never letting you go."

"That's not what I meant, you—" Jack gave a harsh tug on Yusei's arm, silencing the name the younger man had wished to call him. "Damn you! Where are you taking me?"

"It's late and I'm tired. We're going to bed."

The servants had long forsaken the corridor in which the king's chambers lay. The sound of him storming his way up the stairs while dragging an unwilling Yusei behind him was more than enough to convince them to leave, although a few took pity on the ire to which Yusei would likely be subjected to. Still, there was nothing more they could do, and the affairs of the king and future queen were to be handled in any manner which the monarchs saw fit.

Jack kicked open the doors to their room and pulled Yusei inside, just barely remembering to close them. Yusei took the moment to flee to the other side of the room and out of Jack's reach, hand tentatively gripping the hilt his sword as he faced the blond.

Jack felt the rush of cool air wash over him like cascading water from a waterfall. The dead silence made the chamber feel like a tomb, but he was grateful for it. Beautiful, blissful silence. He leaned against the door and turned to look at the room's other occupant, the raven haired prince unearthly in the scattered rays of the moonlight through the curtains. His eyes, finely cut sapphires polished to perfection, gazed back with the utmost resolve.

_Beautiful_…

Out of the blue, the king felt the urge—no, the need—to run to every window in the room and thrust them open. He wanted to bathe in the chilled air of the late summer evening, expose every inch of alabaster skin to the night. He wanted to shiver and tremble in the utter rawness of the elements, his only shield the thin covers on his bed and the naked heat of the young man across from him, their limbs so entwined to the point they would be unable to feel where one stopped and started…

And Jack conveyed this all into the gaze of Yusei's eyes, unblinking and unmoving as the primordial desire swept across the room on a gust of wind towards the prince. Yusei's fingers curled into a tight ball, almost unnoticed by the amethyst eyes of the king, and his throat pulsed with the lifeblood coursing through his veins at the speed of light. Jack wanted to kiss the one spot on his neck. He wanted to pin the prince beneath like the prey that he was—he wanted the two to ravish each other like a pair of dragons might in the chilled dark of their cave, lost in the ecstasies of being connected to another life at such an archaic level.

He wanted Yusei. Gods be damned. And he knew that Yusei could feel this, his exposure to such unbridled craving overwhelming on his innocent mind and untouched body. Yusei couldn't keep still anymore, and was quietly shifting back and forth on his feet.

_You're too beautiful, Yusei…there's no way I'm letting you go_…

Jack closed his regal amethyst eyes, cutting the bond between their stares and sinking into a chair as if the mere thought of such relentless pleasure was exhausting. Yes, he was sure Yusei got the picture.

_You are not leaving this room_…

Yusei let go of his sword, seeming to feel the change in the atmosphere of the room now that Jack sat down. He stood straight once more, hands falling to his sides and eyes locked on the still form of Jack. When the king finally opened his eyes again, Yusei had bridged the distance between them, but as if unwilling to be exposed to disease, left an arm's length gap uncrossed. To the blond king, it felt like a cataclysm.

The hard look in Yusei's eyes had not been quelled.

"What's going on, Jack?" He asked, voice soft but tone heavy, demanding of an answer. Jack stifled a tremble. _He could command an army with such a voice_, Jack thought. _And if I look any longer, myself as well_… "Why did you attack Judai?"

He felt cold. Yusei's mind had never been on Jack. He'd been thinking of the Neospacian king the _entire time_… "Stop talking, Yusei…" Jack whispered, desperation clinging to his breath. _Don't say his name_…

"Quit saying that!" Yusei scolded, like Jack was a mere child in his care. He backed up a hair when Jack made the weak attempt to touch a leather-clad thigh. "What's happened, Jack? You were yourself this morning. What's gotten into you?"

_I lost a duel to Judai_…

"Jack, are you listening to me? Jack!"

_I lost the duel to Judai!_

"Jack Atlas! Answer me!"

"_Winner, Judai Yuki."_

"_Jack!_"

Jack gave Yusei credit for not crying out when Jack threw himself at him, knocking the two to the floor with a most painful crash. Without waiting he rushed to pull Yusei closer, dragging him to his body by the back his legs. He hastily pulled Yusei's thighs to wrap around his waist before leaning over as far as he could, trying desperately to eliminate the space between their bodies. He rolled his hips into the prince's groin, moaning with the want that was driving him to make Yusei his.

Yusei, stunned only momentarily by Jack's audacity, fought to free himself from the entanglement of Jack's arms, which were everywhere they could find skin. Using his legs as leverage, Jack could feel Yusei trying to push himself across the floor and away from his touch, and halted his actions before he escaped. Grabbing Yusei by his waist, he pulled the younger man back against the stirring hardness in his pants, rocking as much as he could into the lithe body beneath him in the hopes of garnering a reaction.

"Jack, please! Stop!" Yusei demanded, shoving at Jack's shoulders when the man leaned in to kiss him. "_Please!_ Not like this!"

"Stop talking!" Jack threw his body against Yusei's a final time, making the smaller man arc off the ground in a fit of heavenly moans behind clenched teeth, fingers digging into the blond's back. Seeing this as the opportunity he wanted, Jack dove for Yusei's mouth, which was open and panting harshly.

Only to be stopped by a pair of hands against his own mouth.

The blur suddenly faded. The king found himself grasping at straws, trying his hardest to find any beauty in the situation. _Love making is supposed to be beautiful_…_what happened_?

Jack found himself staring down a terrified Yusei, who looked as if he was trying his hardest not to cry.

.o.

Yusei pounded on the door in front of him, refusing to stop until it was opened. A worried Judai opened it carefully, only to be caught in the tight embrace of his friend, body wracked with nervous shaking.

He closed the door and led Yusei to a chair, where the raven prince continued to tremble like a frozen victim who had fallen into an iced over lake. Judai kneeled before him for a few minutes, unsure of what to do other than stroke his friend's hair until he stopped shaking. He took in his disheveled appearance with mixed reactions, unsure if Jack had only startled him or actually hurt his friend. When Yusei finally looked up, Judai saw the fresh tears of pain streaming down his face.

"Oh, Yusei…" He embraced him, arms forming a strong hold around his friend.

But Judai was taken aback by his friend's next statement, spoken in a voice not belonging to someone who had been crying. "They're not mine."


	2. Name of the Game

**Woo-hoo! Chapter 8 is up! This was re-written several times until I was happy.**

**Warnings: One hung-over Jack. I never saw that coming….**

Chapter 8

The bell of the church was tolling, but Jack missed the number of chimes that rang out, indicating the time. It had been several hours, though; he could tell that much by the height of the morning sun in the sky. The light wash of gold through the thin clouds lit up the room, the thin barrier that the curtains provided no match for its radiance.

Jack kept to the only shadows in the room in the far corner, the light too much for his eyes to handle after having consumed two bottles of wine the night before. He sat shirtless and with the windows open, but even that was not enough to cool the collecting sweat on his body. He looked puffy and red in the mirror, a sight that he could hardly tolerate, but did nothing to move to a different chair and out of the mirror's reflection. He wasn't sure he could.

He picked up Yuesi's crown again, the fine silver object having fallen from his raven head when Jack threw him to the ground the night before. It was cool to the touch even after minutes of holding it, much like the gaze of his intended consort.

_If I can call him that anymore, _Jack thought. _After last night, I imagine that his story would be enough to convince his parents to get him out_.

Jack flipped the crown around some more. It was a fine crown, indeed, even if it was covered in Jack's blood.

Said prince's pile of things remained in the corner where the servants had first placed them, untouched since yesterday morning when Yusei grabbed fresh clothes and fled for the woods. For once, curiosity did not get the better of him, and Jack had left his things the way they were, the desire to rifle through and learn something new to tease Yusei with all but fading dream. He could already picture that corner as empty again.

_98 days to go_? _I doubt it_.

He felt sore. The retaliation of one Judai Yuki had left Jack aching throughout the night, the chill of the air outside stiffening his muscles and seemingly locking up joints. Had Yusei been there, Jack would've pulled his sinuous naked form beneath the sheets with him; his fiery body and burning skin would've soothed the aches and pains and made sleep all the better…but he hadn't been.

Jack let out a soulless laugh to himself. Even his dreams of waking every morning to the sight of Yusei's delicate form next to him was fading, much like his hopes of ever seeing the prince again.

He didn't ponder long on Yusei's whereabouts. His "beloved" had likely run to Judai's room and spent the night there, tucked in the bed with his old friend and far away from the chaos that had become his life.

The thought of Yusei sharing a bed with someone other than him didn't strike the fire in his heart like one thought it might. Instead, it hollowed him out a little more.

_Judai Yuki won the duel_…

"Master Atlas?" Came Godwin's voice. Jack hardly found the energy to look up at the door to his room. "Master Atlas, everyone is waiting for you in the dining hall."

_And you think I care at this point?_ Jack gave no reply. His throat felt thick and scratched, and no amount of wine had been able to quench the thirst or numb pain. He looked away.

Godwin opened the door without a word and stepped inside. His eyes never strayed from Jack's face to look at the room. "Should I tell them you're not coming?" He didn't wait for a response, but instead turned to someone outside the door and said, "Tell them to begin breakfast. The king is feeling unwell at the moment."

"Yes, Lord Godwin." Came a girl's voice, and then the soft pattering of sandaled feet across the marble.

His guests were actually sitting down to eat breakfast? Jack wanted to laugh. Perhaps they were more insane the he was—any normal parent would've stormed into Jack's room, impropriety be damned, and demanded penance for hurting Yusei. How could they act as if nothing happened?

"Actually, wait a moment." Godwin turned back to the room and wandered in, sidestepping a fallen chair and some strewn pillows with ease of familiarity. He opened a trunk belonging to Yusei and retrieved some clothes, striding back across towards the door before pausing to see the crown in Jack's hands. He seemed to contemplate taking it before shaking his head and handing the clothes off to the girl. "Put these in Master Yuki chambers. I imagine Prince Yusei would appreciate the change of clothes."

"Yes, sir." The girl left without another word, and then Godwin closed the door.

His eyes scanned the mess of Jack's chambers without so much as a frown, absently picking up one of the tipped chairs and tossing some of the pillows back onto Jack's bed. He _tsked_ only once when he retrieve a pillow that found its way outside an into a flowerpot, and casually tossed it to the door for mending later. It was only as he walked past the small table and attempted to adjust a tipped mirror that he happened to notice the two empty bottles of wine Jack had left behind from the night before. It was then that Jack spotted the unpleasant curl of Godwin's lips as he sighed openly in disappointment.

"How much would this make it? You had four glasses at dinner and two bottles after," Godwin's frown turned on his young charge. "I think I can see why Yusei fled."

Jack growled at the older man across the room, although his voice came out to a scratched whisper, "I drank those _after_ he left."

That did nothing to lessen Godwin's glare, but he finally straightened up and turned back to the empty bottles. Jack leaned back in his chair. "I suppose the four at dinner explain your _hospitality_ in the garden. Still, whatever you did has left Yusei in quite a mess. The poor boy could barely hold a mug this morning without someone to steady his hands."

"What do you want, Godwin?"

"I want to know what happened," he said plainly, striding across the room and to the chair opposite from Jack, taking a seat without asking. "I want to know why the child of my friend looks like he's seen Hell itself."

Jack looked away and out the window, voice even. "It's none of your business." _Why are you asking me this? You already know what happened_.

Godwin's tone was critical but soft. _Like Yusei's_… "You can't imagine how uncomfortable it was to look Hakase in the eye and say that I had no idea what you had done to his son. I felt like liar even when I knew nothing. Yusei parents were going to leave this afternoon to the Satellite, but now have left the Satellite to their steward's care so that they might help their son recover. Their people are in an outrage." Godwin leaned forward in his seat. "Is it still none of my business? Or is the instability of our ally's kingdom not a concern of yours?"

Jack said nothing.

The room darkened visibly, the sun likely enshrouded in clouds. The blond king shivered at the abrupt drop in temperature, his sweat cooling as fast as sand in the desert at night. _Damn_, he cursed to himself. _I'm going to catch a fever at this rate_—

A blanket was draped over him. Jack looked up in surprise as Godwin stepped away and sat back down again, sighing to himself as he leaned his forehead into the palm of his hand. "What am I to do with you?" It wasn't a question directed at Jack. It seemed like an eternity passed before the lord looked back up at Jack, eyes weary with stress. He began to speak again, this time more quietly, but his voice still carried the same urgency. "This treaty is at stake, Jack. It hasn't even been week yet. The Fudo's are questioning whether or not they made the right choice signing with us—and are doubting themselves for sacrificing Yusei."

He leaned forward, openly pleading with his king. This was side Jack had never seen before of Godwin, and absently wondered if it was brought on by his own, uncharacteristic behavior. The two never talked about private matters such as feelings—there was never the need for such things. And now, Jack wondered, was that what made this all the more difficult?

He hoped not.

"Jack, I need to know what happened last night."

"Why don't you ask Yusei if you want answers?" Jack snapped.

"Because he refuses to speak about it."

_What!_ "What do you mean?"

"I'm saying that Yusei has refused to speak about last night with anyone except yourself."

Yusei still wished to speak with him? Or was it ploy he developed to make himself look mature without answering any questions? Either way, Jack hadn't expected it. And judging by Godwin's face, he had noticed Jack's surprise.

"I take it you were expecting his full cooperation with his parents?"

Jack nodded without thinking.

"Jack, the boy lied to his own parents about his feelings regarding your marriage proposal. What makes you think he'd divulge anything about last night to them?"

He had lied to them about that, too? "What about Judai?" he shot back bitterly. "Surely Yusei confided in him at the very least?"

"No, he hasn't. Jack, _please_—what happened? Why do you need someone else to tell the story? What can't _you_ say that _they_ can?"

.o.

_They weren't stopping. He couldn't tell why. He brushed his face for the hundredth time, rubbing more runny mucus across his arm than there already was. He eyes felt dry for all the tears that were emerging, puffy and swollen from all his sobbing. His throat kept threatening to close off, and he choked on the air he was trying to swallow. Poor skinny Yusei was still trapped beneath his weight, clutching the arm Jack was using to support himself with all the strength of a frightened child._

_Jack couldn't begin to say how grateful he was for having the one hand there, practically squeezing the life from his limb and turning the skin all different shades of colors. It was his lifeline. It was an anchor. It was what reminded him that Yusei was still there, still upset, but as unable to move as the man on top of him, too emotionally exhausted from the events of the day._

_The thought made him want to cry all over again._

Judai Yuki won the duel…

"_He won—he won…" Jack sobbed. "Damn it! He won!"_

"_Jack, Jack, Jack," Yusei said quietly, awkwardly patting Jack's shoulder as he attempted to worm himself out from under the king. "What are you talking about? What's wrong?"_

_His voice was light and his breaths short. Yusei was unable to disguise the panic now._

_Jack hiccupped before releasing another round of sobs. He screwed his eyes shut to the best of his abilities and leaned his head forward, both arms now holding him up and further entrapping Yusei._

"_I won't let him take you away, Yusei!" The king cried. "You're mine!"_

"_It's okay, Jack. I'm not going anywhere. No one's taking me. You can relax."_

"_You can't leave, Yusei!"_

"_I won't leave, I promise," Yusei hushed, voice strained as he tried to shove Jack off of him. The king hardly felt the effort._

"_Don't leave me like you left your parents! Don't let someone else take you away!"_

"_I won't leave, Jack, okay?" Yusei groaned loudly as he tried to pry his stuck legs from beneath Jack. "Come on. Why don't we get up and have some water, huh? You've had a lot to drink tonight…Ugh!"_

_Jack collapsed on top of him, crushing him. Squeezing him. Yusei gasped for air, hands clawing at the ground. "Jack! You're hurting me!"_

"_I'm sorry…" Jack wrapped his arms around the prince even tighter, drawing him as close as their flesh would allow. Yusei beat against his back. "I'm sorry." He spotted the water on Yusei's face—Jack's tears—and gently licked them away. They were soiling Yusei…_

_Jack fell sideways, away from the pain when something sharp stabbed the side of his face. The heat fled from beneath him as Yusei scrambled to stand, backing away as slowly as could he like he was trying to disguise his movements. Jack shot up, hands rubbing the blood all over the side of his face to find the slash. So much red…how did…_

_Yusei's crown._

_Yusei had hit Jack with his own crown._

_Jack finally looked back at Yusei, who was in front of the door at this point. Something clicked—or snapped. Jack was too far gone to tell the difference._

"_You're leaving…"_

_Yusei shook his head repeatedly. "Jack, I—"_

"_You said you wouldn't leave!"_

_Yusei still didn't come any closer. He held his hands out in front of him, emphasizing the shaking of his head. "Jack, just listen—"_

"_Get out!" Jack lost control of his hands. Something flew across the room, smacking Yusei in the head. It was a pillow from a chair. "GET THE HELL—OUT!"_

.o.

"Should I send for someone to see to the cut?" Godwin asked quietly.

Jack shook his head. "I poured wine over it. It'll be fine." He took another sip of water. Godwin had been kind enough to call for someone to go fetch some straight from the well. It was still cool to drink.

It felt like heaven on his tongue.

"So what will you do now, Jack?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure I can do anything at this point."

"I don't think that's entirely true…" Godwin looked out the window, pushing the curtains after a moment to get a better view. "It'll be lunch in a few hours. I'm sure the others would like to see you up and about."

"Heh, doubt it." Jack chuckled listlessly. "I know I wouldn't be happy to see the man who hurt my child."

"You threw a pillow at his head. I highly doubt that qualifies at hurting Yusei."

"It's not _what_ I threw at him that matters, Godwin," Jack ground out between clenched teeth. "It's the fact that I intentionally threw something at him with the hopes of causing him harm. No amount of apologizing will atone for that."

"You're right. It won't."

Jack blinked. Godwin had gone back to staring out the window. Not the reaction he had expected.

"That's why," Godwin said calmly, "you must never let this happen again. You're a king. You have people that depend on you. A state that needs your guidance. And," Godwin looked back at him, "a consort that does not wish to see you get yourself into any more trouble."

Jack threw the older man a strange look. Godwin explained. "Yusei told us that you didn't hurt him. He said that there had been a misunderstanding, but not once did he reveal the details of the drunken stupor in which you molested him."

_He…defended me?_

"Yusei is indeed an intelligent man, Jack. And a brave one. He knows that should you fall out of favor with the people, there could be a rebellion. He also knows that relations between the Satellite and New Domino are crucial to keeping his home safe, and understands that there has to be a level of sacrifice in order to achieve that."

_No. He's defending his people_…

Yusei didn't care for Jack—he had said that up front on the first day they had met. And Jack knew that Yusei would do anything to help his beloved Satellite—but to go as far as he had last night in enduring all that Jack had done and tried to do…that took something else. Something he wasn't aware Yusei had.

"You had called your relationship a game; a game that you would win. What you didn't count on was that Yusei would fight back. You underestimated him when you shouldn't have." Godwin rose from his seat and started towards the door. "Figure out where you are in this game, Jack. Figure out what piece you'll play next. And this time," Godwin stopped until he held Jack's gaze, "count on Yusei playing the game with you. You've just surrounded your opponent's queen, Jack. But a queen is not limited to any one move. If you want that queen, you have to play smart.

"And if you want the other player's heart, you have to play fair."


	3. Spinning Circles

**I now run out of chapters. I have to start writing more again. XD **

**Chapter 9**

Yusei stared at the scroll in Godwin's hands. "The map of the grounds?"

"Yes. The king asked me to give this to you."

Yusei glanced once at his parents, who were sitting across the table, before looking back at Godwin and taking the old map from him. He carefully unrolled it, figuring there must have been some significance to it, and discovered that Jack had written on the map.

"What's all this?" Yusei asked.

Godwin pointed at a few of the locations on the map. "These are some of His Highness's favorite spots to visit when he's not working. He thought that you might enjoy them as well."

"Well, that was sweet." Judai said with smile, although his tone was lacking its usual mirth. Yusei glanced back at his friend and the two shared a look before the prince returned his eyes to the map.

There were several areas now blotted with blue ink, locations circled in a very precise manner that seemed to match Jack's habit of writing with ruler-edge efficiency when doing paperwork. Everything was prim and tidy, not a drop of spilled ink anywhere. Yusei scanned the circled areas, noting absently that Jack had also picked the same spot where he went to spy on Yusei the other day as a _favorite_. Yusei didn't laugh, but knew somewhere that the blond king _was_.

"Very funny, Jack," he whispered to himself.

"What was that, Yus?" Judai asked, craning his neck over Yusei's shoulder out of curiosity.

"Nothing." Yes, it was where he caught Jack being a voyeur. All the same, if Jack had the humor to circle it, then maybe he was feeling a bit better after last night. Yusei hoped so—he preferred the straightforward, perverted, teasing Jack over the intoxicated, emotional wreck that he was the night before. "I take it Jack sent this as a way of saying he's going to be unavailable today?"

Godwin bowed his head, "That is correct, Prince Yusei. He wishes both you and Master Yuki a wonderful time. I've already instructed the cooks to pack a small meal for the both of you. You may leave whenever you'd like."

Yusei nodded, knowing when he was being told to scoot. He thanked Godwin for the map and turned back to his empty plate at the table, finishing the last of his drink while Judai got to his feet and pushed his chair in.

"I'm going to change out, Yus."

"Okay." Yusei finished sipping his mead before he too rose, bowing to his parents before leaving the table. It had taken some getting used to not having Jack sit to the side of him during a meal, talking loudly and poking at Yusei's thigh from under the table when he thought the prince wasn't looking. He couldn't say he missed either annoyance.

Godwin had returned to stand behind Yusei's parents, leaning over to whisper something that made them both grimace. The couple had been very quiet throughout the whole meal, sharing only nervous looks with each other before spreading fake smiles when they thought Yusei was looking at them. Their morning didn't seem like it was going to get any better. The young prince caught Godwin's eye as he left, and Yusei nodded in his head in reply. Godwin took the sign and excused himself from his parents, walking with Yusei down the hall until they were out of earshot.

Godwin was still quiet, though. "Jack told me about last night, your Highness."

Yusei held up a hand. "Please—call me Yusei."

"Very well. Is there anything you need tended to? Are you still sore anywhere? You're still looking a little pale. It feels too late to ask, but I did not wish to discuss this with your parents around."

"I'm glad you didn't. What happened last night—" It had taken most of the evening to get him to stop shaking. His stomach had flip-flopped at the idea of sitting next to Jack again in the morning, too, and he wouldn't deny that hearing Jack would be keeping to himself for the day sounded rather appealing. He wasn't sure he could face the flaxen-hair king just yet. "I just didn't expect such behavior from him. I knew he was upset about Judai winning the duel, and he kept asking me to stay, but I couldn't figure out why. I figured I was safer leaving."

"And you made the right choice. I wish I could say he's been worse. I apologize for letting him leave with you. It was irresponsible of me. After having four glasses of one of our stronger wines, I knew he would be a bit…tipsy."

Yusei quietly chortled. "Yeah. I guess that's putting it nicely." The silence lingered for a moment and neither man spoke, just exchanged stares and nods, before Yusei asked what he meant to. "Is he…okay?"

The words felt strange on his tongue, like he was betraying his morals by asking.

Godwin frowned to himself and sighed, grimacing as he spoke. "Jack drank two whole bottles of wine after you left. He doesn't know, but I checked in on him a while after you went to Master Yuki's. He was unconscious and halfway out a window—it nearly stopped my heart to see him like that."

Yusei kept his surprise to himself, but inside he felt hollow. Jack went that far? All because he feared Yusei leaving? He couldn't tell if he should feel some sort of flattery, or fear for the man's sanity. What if Jack was always like that? He hung his head. "I should've stayed…he would've fallen asleep soon…damn it, he could've killed himself."

"Maybe, but it was his own choice to be so reckless. Jack's never met someone like you before, but it's no excuse to lose his temper." Godwin squeezed his shoulder. "You are not to blame, Yusei."

"That doesn't change the fact that he's upset."

"No, but you need not worry about his feelings at the moment. I think some time to reflect on the situation will do him some good. He's bathing at the moment, and I'll make sure he gets some actual rest." Godwin's smile was weak, but his tone was lighter now, "Right now, Jack wants you to get outside and get some fresh air. I promise to look after him."

That was Yusei's cue to leave, and he took it, bowing his head in gratitude before continuing on down the hall.

"Oh, Yusei, one more thing," came Godwin's voice. Yusei turned back. "I've had fresh clothes sent to Master Yuki's room. I'm afraid Jack still has your crown, though."

"You are a most thoughtful man, Lord Godwin," Yusei said with a grin. "Thank you."

And apparently three steps ahead of Yusei, as well. The prince sighed to himself. He had no idea where Jack was at the moment, and the idea of wandering around near his—or was it still _their_—chamber made his stomach churn. He headed straight back to Judai's room and changed into the clean clothes while his friend trotted off to the kitchen to locate the lunch Godwin promised. As he waited for Judai to return he studied the map, making note of the trails and dead ends and landmarks. Upon further examination he found a trail that cut through the forest and made a straight shot to the Daedalus Bridge, most likely a secret path laid out for royals should they need the escape. He made a note of it and pushed it to the back of his mind for later. After what felt like a half another of waiting, Yusei picked the trail that led to the beach. The trip there and back would take most of the day, but if it meant time alone with Judai and being away the great white palace, he was fine with that.

Of course, the later they left, the later they would return. _Where is Judai, anyways? He was supposed to just go to the kitchens. Did he get lost?_ Yusei wasn't exactly familiar with the palace either, but Judai hadn't gotten the tour that Yusei had. _And Jack probably wanted it that way…oh, boy._

Yusei folded the map and tucked it into his tunic before grabbing his sword and stepping out the door. The marble hall was devoid of any servants, familiar or otherwise, and Judai was not coming down either corridor. Where could he have wandered off to? Yusei didn't know where the kitchens were but made a guess, following the original path to the dining hall first. That room was empty too, save one hungry cat that was prowling underneath the table for scraps. He tried another hallway, but that one only lead to the pantry and the back door used by the servants who milled about in the barnyard. Yusei came back inside and climbed the stairs to the second story, figuring he'd circle back to the guest quarters.

By the time he reached the top he was exhausted and a bit dizzy, so he sat down for a moment to catch his breath. Where was everyone? Yusei could barely recall a day when the hallways weren't occupied with at least one individual back at the Satellite, and his family had fewer servants. Was this a holiday and he just didn't know?

Yusei groaned to himself and rose once more, determined to find Judai if it killed him. The boy had to be in the palace somewhere!

When he found a window, Yusei checked outside in the surrounding court yards for any sign of the chestnut haired boy, but he wasn't there. Only a few guards were strolling about and some small children were chasing the wandering chickens with shrieks of glee. He tore down the hallway for another window with a different view, eventually coming across another section of the castle, the inner court yards, where he spotted Godwin and his parents chatting. He couldn't find a way to open the window to call down to them and didn't dare pound on it like a child might. Making a noise of frustration, he opened the collar of his coat a bit more and took off running again to find some stairs. The clock outside said it was nearing midday, only frustrating Yusei more. He'd been waiting and searching for over an hour now—where was Judai?

Yusei stopped to look around, puzzled when nothing seemed to ring a bell. He didn't recognize where he was. This must've been part of the tour that he had missed, having fallen asleep in the library. Oh well—there was time for that later. He turned around and ran back the other way, skidding to a halt when he found himself faced with two hallways that branched off. Which one had he come out of? Yusei fought to remember if he had been closer to the windows or the wall, eventually choosing the window side because it served as a second point of reference. He followed the short hallway until he came upon a set of stairs he didn't remember climbing. Obviously the wrong way, he doubled back, ignoring the twisting feeling in his gut that was the onset of getting sick. He would find a way out—he wasn't a child that needed leading anywhere.

Of course, when he got to the correct hallway, the door he had come through got jammed, and he couldn't open it. Sighing, he went back down the other hallway with the stairs and back onto the first floor, tired when he reached the bottom. This palace was maze—how on earth did anyone remember where anything was? Fed up with trying to find Judai, Yusei started his way in the direction of the main entrance—or where he assumed the main entrance was, anyway. He didn't recognize where he was again. Figuring he could hop out an open window and just work his way around the outside, Yusei started towards the hallway not lit by candles. He shrugged off his coat and threw it over a shoulder, fanning himself discreetly as he strode down the hallway. By the time he had reached the end he was sweating profusely and breathing heavily like a dog, but he knew salvation waited at the end where the windows lay—he just had to open one…

Just had to get there first…

Just had to…

.o.

It had finally cooled down.

Yusei pried open his eyes slowly, blinking owlishly in the harsh light that hit his face. He rolled away from it groaning, pulling the sheets back over his shoulders to ease the sudden chill that had swept over him.

Wait.

Yusei opened his eyes again, this time taking in the familiar sheets and the fact that he was topless. Without having to move much he could tell his pants were still on, but that still didn't change the fact that someone had _undressed_ him and it was likely the same someone whom he shared the bed with a few nights ago…

Jack was clearly in the room with him. Yusei could hear the rustle of paper and the sound of peaceful breathing, like the blond was reading, but he couldn't identify where it was coming from. He felt his heart begin to race without even thinking about it, stomach churning once more to the thought of being alone with this man.

_Fate is determined to throw me in his path_…

"If you're going to continue pretending to be asleep, at least remember to breathe. Holding your breath just gives you away."

The prince froze. Jack was a lot closer than he thought.

"Jack…"

"Hm?"

Yusei shot up to locate the voice, but his head protested violently to the idea and sent him sprawling back to the sheets, moaning as he clutched either side of his throbbing cranium. Why did it hurt so much all of the sudden? He hadn't had a headache this bad in years! Was he getting sick?

"You and your parents failed to mention that you were prone to head aches and passing out when you got too hot. Seems like that's the kind of thing you tell your husband-to-be, don't you think?"

"Be quiet, Jack…" Yusei moaned, burying his face into his pillow in an effort to drive out the light.

"Are you always this grateful to those who save you?" Jack asked calmly, although without disguising the heavy sarcasm. A chair was scooted across the floor and booted footsteps crossed the room, an obnoxious creak of a window shutter practically screaming in Yusei's ear before the footsteps returned to the other side of the room, back to the chair. "You can open your eyes now," said a bored voice.

Yusei didn't, not trusting his eyes to be insensitive to the rest of the light. Jack had left the shutters open on the other half of the room, and he didn't want to incur another skull splitting pain like he had the moment before. The nausea that often came with his migraines hadn't plagued him yet, but he figured it was only a matter of time before he would begin vomiting. And he was in Jack's nice bed, too…

"I-I gotta get outside…" He moaned, unsure if he was loud enough for Jack to hear. "I'm gunna be sick…" God, he sounded awful. Yusei had never wished to be with someone else more than he did in that moment. It was bad enough Jack had found him unconscious—he didn't want to the man to be witness to his awful headache induced slurring and vomiting, too.

Jack didn't laugh, but his smirk was audible. "And I thought you sounded awful when you were drunk."

Yusei growled. Obviously Jack was feeling better from last evening, but he had to admit it: this was worse. He had never heard him sound so bitter before.

He rolled himself to the edge of the bed, eyes still closed. "Moron…" He didn't sit up, but shuffled a leg off the bed and onto the floor so he could find purchase. Based on the silence of the room, Jack was watching him try to leave, but Yusei forced himself to push his embarrassment to the back of his mind and think of Jack's more compromising position instead: the man was found hanging out a window while he was unconscious! At least Yusei had more class and would never be caught doing something so unusual.

The raven haired prince finally settled both feet on the floor, legs and knees for the most part steady. He waited a moment to make sure the vertigo would not send him reeling again, but regretted doing so in a heartbeat when Jack spoke again.

"All this picture needs now is me standing behind you with your pants around your ankles."

_That son of a_—"You're a good one to talk…" Yusei muttered, hoping Jack could hear him. He kept his head looking straight in front of him, still hesitant about opening his eyes. His tone would have to do. "Godwin found you unconscious and hanging out a window."

"What? Where did you come up with that load of rubbish?"

"Godwin told me…"

"Godwin didn't come see me until nine this morning. I was awake by then, and I woke up on the bed, _thank you very much_." Jack closed his book with a snap. Yusei absently wondered what he was reading. "Is this what you were discussing at breakfast?"

"No, it's what Godwin pulled me aside to talk about when I asked how you were doing."

Yusei opened his eyes to glare at the king, who had risen from his chair without him hearing. _Pompous ass_. "Of course, I regret asking that now that I know you were fine all along."

The comment clearly stung Jack. His features morphed into an angered grimace that could frighten a dragon, eyes now amethyst slits to Yusei. His hung-over appearance didn't contribute to the look, either. He stalked across the room, towards Yusei. In the precious seconds between approaching him, Yusei realized that Jack wore glasses to read. "Get back in bed, you idiot! Before you hurt yourself again!"

"You're not my mother, _Jack_."

"No," Jack growled, "I'm your king." He grabbed Yusei's arm and attempted to man-handle him back onto the bed, but Yusei would have none of it, even if it did make him feel dizzier.

"Let go of me!" He shoved Jack's arms away and slipped between him and bed, out of the corner. Jack looked ready for blood.

He came at Yusei again. "You're going to hurt yourself if you go wandering around right after you passed out!" He wrestled with the prince when he tried to grab his shoulders. "Damn it, Yusei, just go back to bed already!"

"No! You're not my mother, your not my mother, and you're not my king! So let go of me!" Yusei risked running his weight into Jack, and knocked the man away from him. Jack stumbled, but he did not fall. Still, the shove seemed to have been enough. Now if only Yusei could shake the nauseous feeling…

When he opened eyes again, Jack was standing upright again, but made no further motions to grab him. Instead he breathed heavily, hands clenching and unclenching silently. The prince ignored the hollow feeling in his gut for saying something so mean. Jack deserved it. "If you're done with the comments, I will be leaving." Yusei stood up slowly, the throbbing in his head pounding more incessantly with each degree that he rose. He snatched his boots and shirt from the chair at the foot of the bed, fumbling with the tunic as he tried to turn it upside down while holding his shoes. He glanced back at Jack, who was watching him very carefully. "Good day, _Your Highness_."

.o.

"Yusei!"

The prince was bombarded with cries as he came around the corner of the hallway, having cleared the hallway specifically for the monarch in power. A small group had gathered at the edge of the territory, either standing and pacing or rocking back and forth in their seats, each with a nervous look plastered onto their faces. Judai looked like he was trying to comfort Yusei's mother, and Hakase was pacing in small circles while Godwin watched unobtrusively from the sidelines. Yusei stared for a moment before clearing his throat, attracting their attention.

His mother threw her arms around him, making him nearly lose his balance. "Are you all right? King Jack said a servant found you unconscious in the hallway. Oh," the distraught woman stepped back to examine his face, "look at you. You're still pale as snow. Why are you up and about?"

Yusei bit his lip, unsure as to how he could answer without saying that he and Jack were fighting again. It was bad enough to have had one fight so shortly after his arrival, drunken stupor or not—but to have two? That wouldn't be interpreted as a good sign by anyone. _And what about the treaty? If we continue to get into fights, what will happen?_ "I'm feeling a bit better, actually."

"No, you're not." His mother said firmly. "Your skin is clammy and you feel warm. Sit down. Why did King Jack let you leave if you weren't feeling better?"

_Damn, how am I going to explain that?_ "I told him that I needed fresh air and that a walk might do me some good."

"Yusei," Hakase said, approaching his son, "a walk is why you passed out."

He never felt so small than he did right then, sitting with his father looming over him. Maybe it was because Hakase knew he was lying. "That was before…"

"Never mind that. When did you wake up? Jack promised to let us know when you were awake again." Judai asked.

"He did?" Yusei blinked. Jack never left when he woke up. And why would he make them wait outside, away from the room? Yusei couldn't help but feel that was on purpose. _What if he had meant for us to talk about last night? He'd be smart to use this as an opportunity to get my attention—I probably wouldn't have wanted to see him if he just asked for a moment alone. But still, even that seems weird. Jack is the king, after all. He could have me chained in the room, and there would be nothing anyone could do…_

Someone tapped his shoulder. "Yus? Yusei."

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Um, I guess I woke fifteen minutes ago."

"Only fifteen?" His mother exclaimed. "Yusei!"

Yusei was sudden hoisted onto Judai's back, who grabbed his legs as he attempted to keep Yusei on. "Come on. You're going to bed early."

"Judai, put me down. I can walk."

"No, you can stumble around in a daze. Not walk."

"Jud—"

"Yusei." Came Hakase's king-tone. "That's enough." The prince glanced back at his father as the small group started towards Judai's room, catching his hard gaze. The king remained focused on Yusei, who grimaced but nodded his head.

_Yeah, he always knows when I'm lying. Always_.

"Prince Yusei!"

The group stopped to see poor Mikage walking as fast as she could towards them carrying a tray with cups and tea on it. Her hair was a bit messy and her face red from walking so fast. Yusei took pity on the poor woman—he now knew first-hand how the castle could wear you out.

Godwin stared. "Mikage? Where have you been?"

"King Jack sent me to make some willow tea for him and Yusei." Mikage said. "He said his head was hurting and that Yusei was prone to migraines. He said the both of them needed to rest and just to bring it to their room." The blue haired woman glanced up at Yusei on his perch with curious eyes. "Are you feeling better, Prince Yusei? You were asleep last I saw you."

The room began to spin. _Jack_… "Actually, I'm beginning to feel a little dizzy again…"

"You shouldn't have gotten up, Prince Yusei! You need to be in bed." Mikage scolded. She looked to Godwin for instruction. "Should I get the physicians as well?"

"That won't be necessary, Mikage. I'll take this," Godwin said, lifting a delicate looking saucer and cup full of tea from the tray. "You can take Jack the rest. If more is needed, I will call for you."

Mikage bowed her head and left, looking back over her shoulder once more in interest before she disappeared around the corner. The group returned to Judai's room and laid Yusei in the bed on the side he occupied the night before. Hakase left with Godwin after his son was settled while the queen and Judai sat with Yusei as he sipped the bitter tea. The two chatted quietly with each other as Yusei finished and settled down to rest again.

Judai tapped his shoulder. "I'm going to stay here in case you need something. Your mother's going to go talk with Godwin again."

Yusei sighed quietly, nausea having kicked in while riding on Judai's back and making him feel sick. "You don't have to do that. Go eat with them."

"I can just have someone bring food here, Yus. It's okay. Besides, it would be bad if you passed out again and no one was here to help."

The prince didn't feel like arguing. "Fine. I'm sorry today was a bust."

"It's not your fault. Besides, had I known you were going to pass out, I would've made you stay, anyways."

"Heh. Yeah, you would've."

Judai smiled. "You just sleep Yus. I'll be here." With that, the boy got up and walked across the room, out of sight. Yusei rolled over to face the door, biting down a wave of sickness as he adjusted himself. His stomach was pitted into a knot bigger than his fist, it felt. His head was swimming despite the pain. He glanced once at Judai, who had returned with a book and settled in a chair, before laying his head back down and screwing his eyes shut.

_Was Jack trying to take care of me? Was he only up so he could get the tea and make sure I drank some? Was he only being rude because his head hurt, too? Ugh! He's so difficult to understand! Who are you, Jack Atlas?_

No, he would not be getting any peaceful sleep tonight.


	4. Masks

**I'm so sorry that it's taken now four chapters to resolve the dilemma between Jack and Yusei. Actually, I'm sorry that it's going to probably take two more. But don't worry—after that, they story will pick up. **

**Warnings? I guess just an over-tired Yusei who can't think straight anymore and just needs someone to deck him already. Being knocked out is not the best way to get sleep, but I heard it works semi-decently.**

**Oh, and from now on, I'll be listing the countdown of days up here, since it's kinda hard to work that into the story. We go from Day 98 to Day 97 here.**

Chapter 10

_Good God, how he be so dense?_

Jack couldn't believe what happened. A servant finds Yusei unconscious in the hallway, wakes Jack up, who then carried him back to their room and peeled the ridiculous amount of layers off his body, tucked him into their bed, scolded Yusei's parents for neglecting to mention that their son was prone to fainting in the heat (And how could any good parent make that mistake? Honestly…), called for Mikage to make them both tea, patiently waited for her to return and tried his hardest not to collapse in the bed next to Yusei despite his throbbing headache, closed the shutters in the room so Yusei wouldn't make his headache worse and tried to get him to wake up the best way he could (through teasing, of course, since that worked for him as a child) so that he'd be conscious enough to drink the tea, only for the little brat to start mocking him and go tattle to his parents about what happened.

Seriously! How could Yusei be so _dense_?

Jack crossed his arms across his chest and glared down at Yusei's side of the bed, marginally hoping that the duvet would actually spring into flames and ruin the sheets.

…It didn't.

"If you stare any harder, your headache will only get worse."

"I'm fine," Jack said with a wave of his hand to dismiss such an inconceivable notion. Staring making his headache worse? Doubtful. "It'll take more than a staring contest to do me any damage."

Mikage, who was pouring him willow tea into a fine little saucer, let an almost unnoticeable smile grace her lips before banishing the expression. She said nothing. One was normally expected to respond to anything the king said, foolish or otherwise, to let him know you acknowledged what he said, but Jack was willing to let it slide. His own voice was starting to make the throbbing more intense. Her contribution could be given later.

Not that he really cared at this point…

"Here you are, your Highness," said Mikage cheerfully as she carried over the tea on a tray to Jack's bedside. She looked him in the eye before bowing her hand to hand him his drink. Jack had to applaud—most women didn't look him in the eye at all if they had little station. It was the small gestures like that that meant something to him. That, and he was surprised her eyes weren't trying to linger on his naked chest.

"Thank you, Mikage." Jack took only a small sip of the awful stuff, but even that was enough to make him shudder. He couldn't say he was worried whether or not someone saw his reaction to willow tea—the drink was disgusting! Anyone who thought otherwise was out of their right mind.

"Too bitter, your Highness?"

"No, it's the right amount of bitterness. I just can't learn to tolerate the flavor."

Mikage _hmmed_. "I'd take that as a good sign, your Highness. It means you are both in good health and not suffering from migraines."

"I suppose so." Jack took another painful sip. _If I knew that drinking all that wine would lead to this_…

"Would you like some water to help wash it down? I brought some of that as well."

Jack took another sip, and hoped that the look on his face was not one of desperation. "If you don't mind…"

"Of course, your Highness." The small woman took the small tray away but left Jack with his cup. He watched her absently pour more tea, trying to quietly sip the concoction he had been served to the best of his abilities, when he noticed that the second cup of tea he had asked for was not present.

"Mikage, what happened to Yusei's tea?" _Please don't say that you_—

"Oh, that? Lord Godwin took it for Yusei to drink back in King Judai's quarters." She glanced at Jack curiously, oblivious to what he was feeling. "I was surprised to see him outside—the poor boy must've been feeling very bad indeed if he was being carried. I'm amazed you even let him sit upright."

_I told you, you sorry son of_—Jack closed his eyes when the pounding in his head seemed to get worse and fought back his concern for the beautiful raven. So Yusei got his tea after all, did he? Jack couldn't deny it: he really wished that Mikage had dropped the other cup by accident. If he didn't want Jack's help, he didn't need Jack's tea, either.

_If I truly believe that, though, then why does it feel like a dragon is gnawing on my insides?_

Mikage continued to chatter. "I hope you both get well, soon. Neither of you have been looking so good these past two days."

Jack silently accepted the glass of water Mikage provided and took a large swig to remove the sharp after flavor of the tea. The woman fussed some more over him before taking her leave, closing the door behind her with a light _click_. Jack finished his tea then went to relieve himself. When he returned he reopened the shutters to expose the fading sun in the distance, the light casting a pink and orange wash across his face. He felt about as hollow as he had that morning.

When he crawled back into bed to go to sleep, he fought his hardest to not pretend Yusei was in his arms.

_I think I screwed up_…

Down a few corridors and in the guest wing, an exhausted Yusei Fudo found himself unable to sleep. His friend's light snores and the sound of nocturnal animals outside did little to soothe his fraying nerves and lull him to sleep. He tossed and turned for several hours, awaking poor Judai multiple times throughout the night before his friend got fed up and pulled Yusei against him, muttering sleepily, "Stop worrying, already," before falling back asleep. As the sun crept closer to the horizon and the fringes of orange dawn could be seen across the countryside Yusei finally collapsed into an unfulfilling state of rest, his last conscious thought the guilt that was tickling his mind.

_Jack_…

.o.

"Come on, Yus. You have to get up at some point." Judai said as he shook Yusei's shoulder. The raven haired prince shrugged off the hand and pulled the sheets tighter around his body. What was wrong with Judai? Did he not know how early it was? Who was awake at—

"Yusei, it's almost nine-thirty. Your parents are eating already."

_Oh_. Not so early, then.

"Whatever." Came Yusei's muffled voice. He wondered if Judai heard. "Just go eat already."

"And leave you here to sleep the day away? I don't think so." Five horrifying seconds later, Yusei found his hands grabbing at the air as Judai tugged the sheets and duvet so hard that he went tumbling from the bed. His brain felt like it had been knocked loose and he let out an uncomfortable groan, rolling off his face and off the frozen ground and back onto the fallen sheets. He screwed his eyes shut, wincing at the way his bones felt like they were shifting in their sockets. Falling from the bed had not done his back any good. Had everything not been a huge blur, Yusei truly believed he might've thrown something at Judai.

"Judai…" Yusei growled. He tried lifting his head up to glare at the young king. "Come here."

"Not even if you paid me, Yusei," Judai grinned. "You okay?"

"Absolutely. Hitting my head on marble floors just after I recovered from a migraine always makes me feel better." Yusei sat up slowly as soon as he was sure his back wouldn't protest. While he rubbed his cheek, his eyes bore straight into Judai's. "I'm not a child, Judai. I would've gotten up had you given me a few minutes."

The mirth in Judai's tone disappeared. "Forgive me if I have a hard time believing that."

"Whatever." Yusei rose to his knees slowly and threw the sheets back onto the bed. Judai eyed him suspiciously, like he thought the prince would climb back in bed. Yusei glared at him hard. For the first time in his life, he actually wanted Judai to leave him alone. "Seriously, Judai. Go eat. I'll be there in few minutes."

"Promise?"

"Yes! Now, go already!"

Judai held up his hands in silent surrender. "Okay, I got it. Someone brought you some more clothes, too—they're on the table over there," the brown haired king pointed to one corner of the room. Yusei was on his feet again by the time Judai left, his irritation slowly draining from his body and into the floor. It was blissfully quiet.

_I have to see Jack, again_…

Yusei sat down before his knees gave out. It had been long enough for the king to recover, surely. Hell, the man was probably at breakfast right now, seated at the head of long dining table he used to entertain multiple guests, chatting haughtily away about the latest scandal with the regal flair in which he liked to talk in. The people would laugh, as was expected of guests to the king, and then the patriarch would turn to his soon-to-be consort seated in the chair to his right for a confirmation of his statement or something extra to add that was juicy or witty.

The prince shuddered at the thought of that chair, one with his name written all over it. Goose bumps crawled up his arms. He wasn't sure if it was the sudden draft that chilled his bones or his vivid imagination.

_But it's not the expectations of the queen that I'm afraid of, is it? It's the king that poses the greatest concern…but I have no idea what to say to him…_

No, if he didn't sit beside Jack like he was expected to, talk would certainly begin to circulate. It would only take one stray comment from a servant to someone in town to ignite the flames of gossip. And then what would happen? If talk about the trouble Jack and Yusei were having got out, then Jack's reputation would be in jeopardy. And who could only guess what trouble that might cause for the Satellite…the whole thing made Yusei feel even worse than he had the day before. _It's been what—two full days, at least—and I've already unleashed a storm upon two nations. My promise to my father and my people has already been for naught…_

Yusei took some small pride in the fact that his parents still didn't know the full story, though, and that the blond's presence was likely making everything uncomfortable. So maybe all was not lost yet, and Jack was finally getting a taste of the harrowing distrust he had privy to the day before. _Serves him right_.

The thought made Yusei hurt all over again.

_Damn it! I can't keep doing this! We have to talk about this! That's the only way anything will be resolved, right?_

He was on his feet in and instant, and out the door in two minutes, fully clothed and feeling hot with anticipation. He had to talk to Jack! Then all of this would be solved! He couldn't let the Satellite down!

Yusei took off with the longest strides he could manage, his gaze unwavering as he stormed to the dining hall. Upon entrance, he knew would fly down the stairs, past the servants bearing food and Godwin and across the room. He would ignore the concerned looks on his parents' faces and the wide eyes of Judai. He would march straight up to Jack and leave no room to breathe between them. The air would be tense and silent, and the two would fight to dominate the other with their stares. But Yusei would win. He would win, and then force Jack to stand and follow him out of the room. And Jack would, because this new side of Yusei would intrigue him and make him want to listen. And then, once they were alone, Yusei would demand to know everything, no hesitation. He'd demand the full story and reasonable explanations. He'd force Jack to sit at the table in their room and look up at Yusei—he'd make him apologize and grovel and _beg_ for Yusei to forgive him. He'd—he'd…

The prince stopped walking. What. The. Hell. Was. He. Thinking.

_Did I really just think that? Did I really just plan to do something so inconsiderate? Did I really just plan to do something exactly the way…Jack would?_

"_What is wrong with me_…" Yusei whispered to himself, throat catching on what felt like a sob. "_Why can't I think straight anymore_…"

He wasn't going insane…he wasn't going insane…

_I'm—stronger than this! I don't have to sink to Jack's level! I'll catch his attention MY way! I won't let that bastard get to me_—

"Yusei?"

The prince had begun hyperventilating before he was even completely turned around, chest tight and knees wobbly as he took in the sight of the blond king like a criminal just caught in the act of murder.

_What the hell am I thinking? He had no idea what I was planning to do!_

Jack stared with a look that could only be described as incredulous. "Yusei, what are you doing?"

Yusei fought the urge to say he was sorry or to reach up into the air and catch his fleeing voice. "I-I…I was h-heading to breakfast."

Jack gestured behind him. "The dining hall is that way."

"Oh…" Yusei took a moment to observe his surroundings. "Yeah, it is, isn't it."

There was a strangled moment of silence.

Jack quietly cleared his throat. "Why were you talking to yourself?"

"I was talking?"

Jack's eyes clearly expressed the urge to hide his face in the palm of his hand. "Yusei, did you get any sleep at all last night?"

"O-Of course."

"Uh-huh." Jack said without an ounce of belief. "So you were consciously walking in circles like a drunkard."

Some how that comment struck a chord in the prince, although he couldn't remember why. "And how would you that I'm walking like a drunkard and not some other way?"

"Because I've seen you drunk before and know that one glass reduces your class to that of a dimwitted harlot."

_What? _Yusei stared at Jack in disbelief. When on Earth had he been so—

_Wait. He doesn't mean the first night where he gave me wine? And how I woke up in bed with him the next day—does he?_

Jack was watching his reactions lazily, but with the air of amusement. Suddenly, the man's cockiness from a few days before was starting to make sense. Yusei's blood slowly began to simmer, threatening to boil but holding itself back. Barely.

"And I know that four glasses can turn you into an insecure, possessive, blubbering child, so I'd say we're about even."

The words were out of his mouth without control. Yusei clenched his teeth together in shock of what he just said in the false hope that more words would not come out, but he was too late. The look on Jack's face told him that he had said too much. Mikage's earlier conversation with him suddenly reared its head to stare Yusei in the eye.

"_He did everything he could to become a strong ruler, even if it meant putting on a mask."_

Suddenly, even through the haze that had settled in his exhausted mind, Yusei remembered his original intentions. To try and talk with the king and settle the battlefield they built between themselves. And while Jack had seemed hesitant to be around him, Yusei realized that the king hadn't approached him in his usual manner, his head high and voice taunting. And Yusei shot him down. He crossed a line—

_No. I did cross a line—I won't deny that. But what gives him the right to do the same?_

It all came back. Yusei squared his shoulders and lifted his head once more to meet Jack's burning gaze. "We need to talk, Jack."

"Do we, now? Because it felt like everything that needed to be said was spoken already."

And there it was—the Jack that had first approached him in the corridor was gone. "We're angry Jack. Angry people say stupid things. And yes, we still need to talk."

Jack started to leave. "I really fail to see about what, so if you'll excuse me—"

Yusei rushed to his side, invading his personal space and sending Jack back a few steps. No. Jack was not going to play the victim! The king's amethyst eyes were wide but his stance suddenly changed to that of a bull about to charge. He was _daring_ Yusei to try that again.

The prince ground his teeth together. "You act like you're the only one who hides behind a mask—but you're not, Jack. You're—"

Jack knocked foreheads with Yusei, surprising the smaller man into taking a step back. "You think I don't see how you hide as well, Yusei? Because you're wrong. I do see it. And it _sickens_ _me_."

"It sickens _you_?" He had the audacity to say that? Yusei was about to speak, when Jack actually clamped a hand across his mouth to silence him.

"Yes! Because you're not hiding your feelings to protect your country—you're hiding them to protect yourself!"

The smaller man fought to speak through the muzzle on his face, tearing Jack's hand away the best he could. "To protect myself from _what_?"

"From me."

Yusei found that he couldn't move, his knees locked into the defeated stance he had taken. His eyes drifted down from Jack's face to the floor, too tired to try and stare the blond king down any further. Jack stepped away like they were two fighters who had just been broken up from their match. Yusei expected him to leave immediately, but out of the corner of his eye he could still see Jack shifting his weight like he was unsure.

Jack's voice came a moment later, far quieter than it had been before. "Still think we need to talk? Because as much as I would enjoy having a conversation that's going to go in circles with an imbecile that can hardly look me in the eye, I regret to inform you that I have more important things that need tending to—"

"You're just as insecure, you know."

The temperature of the hallway dropped several degrees. "I beg your pardon?"

"Your duel with Judai, and the way you acted afterwards. At first I didn't understand, but then I took the time to think about it," the effort it took Yusei to lift his head was monumental, but he needed to be looking Jack in the eye, "You—can't stand the thought of losing things you consider yours. People or otherwise. We're all just items to you, but like a child, you can't tolerate the idea that you might need to give away a few of your toys."

For the second time that day, Yusei found himself slammed against something hard, his head now throbbing with the pain of being abused. There was no distance between himself and Jack, their bodies so close that they were sharing haggard breaths together. When Jack's lips moved, Yusei could practically feel them brushing against his with every word, like the king wanted him to drink them in and never forget. He tried to focus on Jack's eyes, but they were so close that those amethysts blurred into a strange wash of purple and white. Their heartbeats, even while staggered, seemed to beat in unison, sending vibrations across the other's chest. For a moment, the two men felt like _one_.

Jack voice changed before Yusei's eyes. If he had looked to one of Jack's hands, he wondered if he would've seen a mask in one of them. "You…are _wrong_."

And with that, Jack let go and Yusei collapsed to the cool, marble floor. The last he would see of Jack for a few days was the sight of the man walking calmly away, as if nothing had happened.

.o.

**This is what happens when two people who can't apologize fall in love with each other. Make a note of it!**


	5. Lost

**I am so sorry that this took so long. A little after I posted the last chapter, I went to visit my family for about 5 weeks. I had little Internet access and nowhere to write in private. I'm sorry that I did not say anything sooner. You guys have been so great. I thank you all for your support in this and for being patient with me. I'm going to try my hardest to keep up a better pace with this story!**

**To make up for it, this chapter is extra long. 13 pages! The usual count comes up to 6 or 8—but 13! This is a record for me.**

Chapter 11: Lost

"Yus, are you sure you want to be here?" Judai asked quietly as he watched his friend stare off into the distance for the hundredth time, hypnotized by some invisible force that distracted him terribly. Judai couldn't exactly blame him—the meadow they had found themselves in was beautiful and alive with lavender and morning glories, humming with the life of the small crickets and beetles that inhabited it. The large meadow was the like the eye of a storm, an area of calm in vast, dark forest. Yusei was the one that picked it out of the many circles dotting Jack's map to the grounds around the castle, actually, but every time Judai pointed something out that caught his eye, Yusei's attitude was mildly flippant and he went back to staring.

It was a little irritating.

Judai glanced back at Yusei, but his gaze had not wandered from where it was last directed. "Yusei, did you hear me?" The brunette king received no reply. He furrowed his brow and gave Yusei's shoulder a good shove. "Yusei!"

He was met with an irritated sapphire glare. "What?"

"I said, are you sure you want to be here? Because you don't look like you're having a good time."

"I already told you, I'm fine," Yusei snapped. "Why do you keep asking? If you want to go somewhere else, then say so."

"I'm fine with where we are, Yusei. I'm just worried about you, is all." Judai sighed softly, "You're not acting like yourself, anymore."

The prince scoffed. "I didn't know that I had guidelines for how I was supposed to act."

Judai closed his eyes to the sight of the stranger in front of him before he said something he might regret. He took a _really_ deep breath. "You don't. But, normally you take an interest in going out into the forest. I'm just concerned about your well being."

"Well, you can stop your worrying. Like I've said for the past hour, _I'm fine_." Yusei closed the minimal conversation off by turning away to look out at the trees again. "So stop worrying."

Judai gave up for the time being and lay down in the grass. The tall stalks surrounded him and made a valley like impression around his body. He could see the back of Yusei's head from where he was, stock still save the murmuring wind that occasionally drifted by and tossed his hair.

When he came down for breakfast that morning he had been ridiculously late, but Judai had decided to hold back on the scolding when he saw his friend's face. Yusei was not an easy crier by far, but it was obvious to every in the room, even at a distance, that the dark prince had been sobbing. His eyes were red and swollen, and the tops of his cheeks rubbed raw from wiping away the tears too harshly. Saltwater stains marked his cerulean tunic, the contrast stark even in the soft light of the dining hall. Yusei came down the stairs without his usual grace, his hand wrapped tightly around the bar of the railing like it was his lifeline, and tripped a few times over his own boots. There was nothing proud in the man as he scooted out his chair and sat down, eyes cast down at his plate as he ate what was in front of him without care. Just something hollow.

No one talked about it at breakfast because they knew they'd get nowhere.

After Yusei's appearance, Godwin vanished for a few minutes before returning to say that the king would not be joining them for breakfast. Judai sent a Godwin a look that hopefully translated into how cowardly he thought Jack was, and Godwin shot back a looking that was placidly disdainful. It was very obvious that the two must've run into each other and had some confrontation of some sort, but as to what this argument had been about remained as big a mystery as the night Jack dueled Judai. Yusei refused to say a word about it.

After breakfast, Judai quietly led Yusei back to his guest room and pulled his boots off for him before making the prince lie down for a little bit. Yusei complied without complaint, and lay facing the wall with an empty stare. He said nothing when Judai went to look for his parents. The madness had to end—Yusei would get sick if he had to be subjected to such torment for another ninety-seven days.

Judai ran about trying to find the Fudos. When he did happen upon them, they were deep in discussion with Godwin. The brunette king hastily backed out of their sight and remained where he was behind the wall, attentive to their words. Yusei's distraught parents were begging Godwin to allow them to take Yusei home for a little while and allow him to recover, but Godwin restated the king's verdict with stern, although regretful, narration.

"I'm sorry, but the king will not allow it. He says Yusei is still free to roam the grounds if he would like, but he is not to leave the area."

Hakase sounded the most upset, to Judai. The young king fought back the water that threatened once or twice to flood his eyes. "Godwin, please. Yusei's only going to grow ill and weak if he says here! He's hardly had anything to eat in the past couple of days and is completely restless. If he's forced to remain here any longer he might die!"

"I understand, your Highness, but there's nothing I can do. If Yusei leaves the territory, who knows how Jack will react. The king's temper is usually mild, but in an occasion like this I fear it could flare—it would be unwise to anger him any further than he already is."

"What's the worst that might happen?" Hakase had demanded to know. "I've already sunk to sacrificing my only child to a king who doesn't have any respect for him all for _a treaty_. I'm not about to let him die all for a child's foolish behavior!"

Godwin's tone became very serious. "Lower your voice! I have the best of intentions for your son, but this is a matter in which there is nothing more I may do. Your concern for your son's safety is perfectly reasonable, but taking him away will only make matters worse, I assure you."

"How so?"

"Jack can be very irrational at times, and I fear that taking Yusei will only make his focus worse. Not only that, imagine how the news will be taken that the Satellite prince is no longer to be the queen of Neo Domino. People will begin to question Jack and possibly yourselves. Neither of us can afford that." Godwin paused as if to let one of his parents speak, but then started again as if cutting one of them off. Judai wished he could see their faces. "Even if you don't care of the people's opinion, think about your son. Taking him away to recover may seem like a good idea at the moment, but think of how it will be in the long run. He's recovered only to be told that his stay at home was temporary and he has to return to Neo Domino with a man whom he's not settled things with. If that doesn't drive him mad, then more aggressive fights with Jack certainly will."

There was another pause. "Jack's already displeased about the two of you and King Judai being here—should you manage to get away with taking Yusei home for rest, he won't allow any of you back in the city once Yusei is returned to him. The boy will stay a prisoner until his misery kills him."

Judai didn't stay to hear the rest. He ran back to his room and found Yusei sitting at the little table off to the side of the bed, seemingly pouring over the map Jack had left him. With the tenderness a mother might reserve for an upset child, Judai asked where Yusei wanted to go. The prince pointed at the meadow, and Judai wasted no time procuring lunch and gathering anything they might need for a day long outing. They left with considerable haste, and had been out in the meadow since eleven that morning. Judai hadn't mentioned it as they galloped off towards the forest, but he could've sworn he saw the king standing on a balcony watching them leave.

.o.

The day passed between the two boys with relative silence after Judai last attempt to talk to Yusei. Occasionally Yubel or Stardust would wander over to sniff one of the boys or chew on their hair, and a few times Judai awoke to the feeling of an insect crawling over his hands. Yusei hardly moved from his spot, a sad fact that became evident when Yusei rose to his feet and walked around the meadow stiffly. Judai was tempted to follow Yusei when he briefly vanished into the woods, but trusted even a miserable Yusei not to do something stupid. His companion returned a while later and sat back down in his spot, the crumbled grass a reminder of how long he'd be there.

Yusei looked momentarily in Judai's direction, but Judai made sure to watch only out of the corner of his eye. The prince was in no mood for any sort of confrontation. When he looked away again, Judai allowed his eyes to fall shut once more and doze off again. He feverishly dreamt of Jack beating Yusei in a drunken rage before jerking himself awake, too afraid to fall asleep again and see more disturbing images.

Come sunset, Judai got up and shook Yusei out of his stupor once more. He nearly burst into tears when he was met with a sad look that might compare to an orphan puppy begging for shelter from the rain, if only for a little while.

_Don't make me go back_.

Judai covered his mouth in reaction more than anything else, and Yusei frowned marginally at his response. The face Yusei made as he looked away, disappointed, was that of a prisoner who knew they weren't getting out. Judai fell to his knees and hugged Yusei as hard as he could, the raven haired boy stiffening only a moment before leaning into the embrace. Judai stroked his hair, the lack of a returned embrace only more terrifying. Yusei wasn't dumb—he knew where he stood.

He wanted to apologized a thousand times over to Yusei—beg for forgiveness if he could find the breath.

Judai couldn't help him.

Yusei was trapped with Jack and would never get out, and he knew it. No amount of pleading on anyone's part would set him free—only serve to tighten the shackles and shorten the chains. Eventually, if things continued down the path they did, Jack would kick out Judai and the Fudos, tired of their presence and interference in the affairs of the two teens. Yusei would be alone without support or comfort or friendship and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

The Neospacian king never felt so _useless_. He imagined Yusei never felt so _helpless_.

.o.

Yusei dragged his fingers through his hair, hoping to push some of the tension out of his forehead and into the air, away from him. Nothing happened. He tried again.

It was futile.

He could say with some confidence that he felt nothing at the moment. His stomach felt hollow, and his head a little light, but that was it. A vortex must have formed somewhere in his body, because it seemed like every time he tried to focus or feel, the notion was pulled from his grasp and whisked away to where he'd never find it. He'd rarely felt so empty in the past, and loathed it with each time, but today was different. While he felt no joy in having his life eaten away by a void, the sensation itself was not entirely unwelcome. It was like moths nipping away at a discarded piece of fabric, piece by piece and at a slow pace to accommodate their small, delicate fuzzy forms.

It was slow torture, but so numbing in its progression that it was like feeling nothing at all.

"Yusei?"

The prince looked up from his feet to see his mother standing before him, hair down and in small, chestnut curls. She had changed from her formal attire of gentle sky blue to more comfortable clothes of creamy ivory for the evening. Her old shawl—a gift from a nurse who once tended to younger Yusei—sat unkempt around her shoulders, although it was clear she was chilled.

Yusei began to tuck the shawl around her so it'd keep her covered. "Mother, you need to stay warm. You'll get sick if you wander around like so."

She gave his words no thought. "Yusei, I know you planned to stay with Judai tonight, but I think you need to move into an empty room."

He felt himself balking slightly at the request. _Alone?_ She'd never said anything like that before. He asked, "Why", voice lacking the usual demand or strength that it once carried—just the distracted tone of a sick boy. The fact that he himself noticed the change struck him as interesting.

His mother took his hands in her own, skin considerably paler next to his, and grip slightly frailer. Not to say that she was weak, but Yusei's mother had always been a dainty little thing. "Because people are starting to worry about you and the king, and I'd rather they not believe you to be committing infidelity to your betrothed."

Yusei frowned. The words sounded odd coming from her. "But I'm not, and you know this."

"I understand, Yusei, but…it's for the best."

"The best for whom?" _For Jack? So he can kill me in my sleep?_ "Has Godwin said something to you?"

Yusei's mother refused to say anything more on the subject, and any other questions regarding her concerns were pointless. He bid her goodnight, but much to her worried gaze, returned to the room with Judai. He didn't fear attack from Jack in the middle of the night with a viable witness besides him.

Not that he was concerned about that or even remotely thinking of using Judai in that way.

…it was just for the company…

_I've made the worst mistake of my life_…

.o.

"Yusei? We should probably be heading back." Judai called to his friend. The raven haired prince glanced up at him from where he had paused with Stardust.

"Judai, come look at this!"

The Neospacian king checked the dark sky for any signs of rain with furrowed brow before he nudged Yubel back in the direction of his friend. When they had left earlier in the day, it had been very sunny and warm, and people were out and about tending to their chores or working the fields. A few hours later, though, the skies had grown ugly with the approach of dark thunder clouds. The forest was already much quieter than it had been hours before despite the coming darkness of night. Judai didn't doubt the animals' instincts for a second—the storm was going to be a bad one.

"Yusei, we don't have all night," Judai chided as he came up besides his friend. "The storm is almost—"

"Shh…" Yusei shushed with a gesture of his hand. Once he was confident that the king would not make any more noise, he pointed quietly at a small burrow in the ground that was partially concealed by leaves.

Judai saw the miniscule movements of an animal inside the ground, but in the waning light had trouble picking up what it was. He waited a few minutes for something to reappear, but nothing did. Clenching his fingers in frustration at the thought of being caught out in a thunderstorm, Judai had turned to grab Stardust's reins and just lead them back himself when a small face poked its nose from the burrow.

It was a small family of foxes—one mother and her two kits—all an assortment of colors that Judai could not imagine existing in nature without some divine interference. The mother was an illustrious red with beautiful orange tints to her coat that made her look almost vibrant even in the dim light. One kit, which was slightly larger than its sibling, was perhaps one of the deepest blacks Judai had ever seen in his life. It coat, while still fluffy like down with youth, shone an almost blue color that could give Yusei's irises a run for their money. If the king hadn't seen the mother besides it, he would've sworn it was a mutt of some sort. The other kit, which periodically ducted its head back into the burrow, was albino. In the snow it would blend in easily, but in the dark greens and browns of the forest it would jump out noticeably. Judai wished it the best of luck as it grew older and learned to hunt, for it surely would have the hardest time surviving out of all of them.

"I can't believe it…" Judai whispered, barely catching his own voice. Yusei must've understood the tone at least, because he gave one of his rare, lopsided smiles that made Judai's heart warm. Stardust, the ever curious one, took a slight step forward without startling his rider too much, and reached out with his muzzle to the mother. She hissed in warning and her kits ducked back inside their nest, but she stood braced at the entrance still, seemingly ready to take on a full sized horse no matter the cost. Stardust snorted quizzically and blew a puff of air at the mother's face, to which she sniffed cautiously and made a slight sneeze. Both boys waited anxiously for her next move.

She eyed Stardust for a little bit longer, then, with smallest fraction of a step, moved a little bit closer. Then she waited.

And then she moved a little bit closer.

The kits noses could be seen poking out of the burrow, although the darkness of their home concealed the rest of their faces. The mother stopped her marginal approach when she felt her babies stirring behind her.

They ducked back in the burrow. The mother stepped closer.

She stretched out her neck, and her small nose bumped the large muzzle of Stardust.

A blinding light suddenly illuminated the land, turning everything in sight to white emptiness. Then it was suddenly gone, and Judai was back in the forest with Yubel and Yusei. The fox had darted back to her hole, her stare turned back to look at the four again before a clap of thunder struck and hurried her back into her burrow.

Judai's eyes scoured the heavens for any sign of clear sky, but in his distraction, he had forgotten the coming storm. The air was thick with the smell of coming rain, a musky kind of smell that was both calming and exhilarating. But if the lack of noise was anything to go by, this storm would not be a good one to get caught in.

"Damn it!" Judai snapped. He turned back to his friend, who was scanning the forest for reasons unbeknownst to him. "Yusei! We have to go back now! I don't want to get caught in a storm while in a forest."

The raven haired prince eyed him funny. "Why are you so worried? We'll be fine."

"Not if a tree gets struck by lighting and we happen to be nearby," Judai combated. Yusei still carried the same casual, unconcerned look of someone who happened to be caught in a light drizzle and wasn't worried about getting a little wet. His horse, however, was a completely different story… "Let's go, Yusei."

"Fine." Yusei drawled out, like an unwilling child who gave in to their parent's demands. Judai led the way through the maze of trees, his memory of the path they took earlier still sharp. Yusei kept up an even pace behind him, although he seemed reluctant to follow his friend. Judai thought back to earlier that morning when Yusei had shook him awake and asked if he'd be willing to head out early. It had been an odd sight to see Yusei up and about so early given how he had been feeling the past few days, and even more surprising was his sickly complexion and somewhat glassy eyes. The king hadn't been entirely sure if he was dealing with the real Yusei, or a ghost.

But the appeal of an enthusiastic Yusei was too hard to pass up, and Judai had easily agreed to packing some food and going out on an all day trip around the forest. The mere idea that Yusei might be feeling better despite his sickly look made Judai push reality out of his mind, and he had taken the opportunity to go have fun with his friend. Now that he thought about it, perhaps Yusei's enthusiasm to leave had less to do with having a good time and more to do with putting distance between himself and Jack. He still had no idea what happened between him and Jack—be it the night that Judai arrived, the time spent recovering in his room, or the apparent conversation he seemed to have had the other day that left him in tears—but ever since that last encounter, Yusei had been very averse to head back to the palace. The brunette king thought back to the conversation he had listened in on between Godwin and the Fudos, and suddenly wondered if Yusei really did have reason to fear for his life now…

If that was true, then how much longer until he fell deathly ill? Judai knew that he had little control as to what happened to Yusei, but was he making things worse for him by eagerly taking him out on excursions when Jack clearly wanted him gone? Was there any way to solve this?

"Whoa!" Exclaimed Yusei. Judai looked back to see that his friend had stopped and was trying to control his horse.

"Yusei?"

His friend did not reply, his attention focused solely on his horse, who was now spinning in small circles, refusing to go any further. The rain had yet to catch up with them, but the lightning continued to flash brightly in the sky and signal the booming cracks of thunder. Stardust had never shown such nervousness in the past, and it seemed his owner couldn't fathom the sudden change. Yubel herself whinnied nervously and began to stomp her feet in impatience, but Judai refused to continue on until Yusei had control of his horse and could follow him again.

Yubel suddenly jerked forward and tugged at her reins, but Judai was quick to reel in her and keep her still once more. He leaned forward, closer to her ear, and patted her neck reassuringly. "Hush…it's all right, Yubel." He leaned to one side to get a better glimpse at her eyes, but they were still alight with terror.

"Stardust, calm down." Yusei order, speaking a calmly as he could without sounding weak. The frightened creature continued to pace, ignoring the commands of his master despite the painful tugging of his reins.

"Yusei!" Judai called. "Maybe we need to couple him and Yubel together! That way if he stops, she'll still be leading the—"

Thunder cracked loudly across the sky and rumbled there after the deep groans of an angered, drunken man. The rain fell down in torrents, quickly soaking into the ground and turning the earth into thick mud that stuck to the horses' hooves. Stardust panicked at the unexpected noise and balked, almost sending his rider backwards out of the saddle. Yubel began to side-step back and forth with anxiety, her master's commands drowned by the heavy rain.

Another boom of thunder sent Stardust rearing in leaps and bounds. The wind was beginning to pick up and send leaves and twigs flying. Yusei appeared to be slowly losing confidence in himself to get his horse back under control and looked up at Judai for help. "Judai! I can't get him to move!"

Judai almost didn't hear him through the rain. "Stay there, Yusei! I'm coming to get you! Don't get down!" He spurred Yubel into going back for his friend, but she snorted in protest and pulled her reins, choosing instead to step back and farther away from the two. "Yubel! Stop this!"

"—something is wrong!"

The king's gaze shot up to find Yusei in the dark. "What?"

"I said, the horses know that something is wrong!" Judai's mind raced to think of what could be so dangerous that the horses were rendered immobile, but nothing came to mind. The wind continued to throw sticks and loose rocks in the air, the atmosphere going from loud to almost deafening. Judai tried nudging Yubel forward again, but her continual response was to back up. A curt yell erupted from the woods in the direction of Yusei, but Judai could hardly see him anymore.

"Yusei!"

"Get out of here, Judai! Get back to the palace!"

"I'm not leaving you here!"

"It's too dangerous! The wind could send trees toppling over at any second! Get of here, now!"

Judai strained his ears to hear his friend. "I told you, I'm not—"

_CRACK!_

"_Judai!_"

The king looked up to see the tree falling towards him.

.o.

Yusei couldn't see anything. From all around him, twigs and rocks pelted him and Stardust, invisible forces in the dark to which he had no defense. Stardust had bolted slightly when the tree crashed, and Yusei had been so fixated on keeping himself seated that he wasn't sure he heard Judai scream.

"Judai! Judai, are you there! _Judai!_"

The wind rushed him in response instead, throwing pebbles angrily in his direction and scratching his face with twigs.

_No…_ "Judai!"

"-usei!"

His heart almost stopped beating. Yusei clutched his chest, unbelieving that he heard his voice.

"—sei! Yusei!"

No…no, it was real! "Judai! Judai!"

"—back!"

"What?"

"—go back!"

Go back? Was he telling Yusei to leave? Was he hurt? "Go back? Judai, are you hurt?"

"—hear you!"

"What? Judai!"

"—find you!" Yusei strained to hear what was going on, but he still missed the rest of what Judai said. "—around!"

"What?" Yusei yelled again, feeling stupid for repeating himself over and over like he was but pushing it to the back of his mind for the time being. He didn't hear a response. "Judai! What did you say?"

Thunder was the only thing still speaking to him, still as angry was it had been when it started pouring. Yusei called again for his friend, fighting to get his voice over the shrill neighs of his companion and the screeching wind that blew his hair in every direction. When the thunder struck again, he quieted himself, unsure of Judai was even listening anymore. He hadn't heard him scream when the tree came tumbling down, so maybe he was all right, but then again…

He could hardly hear himself.

"JUDAI!"

Lighting lit up the sky with the force of a million fires, illuminating the forest and casting a divine light upon everything it could reach. Stardust's white coat turned to ivory and his mane the waves of the sea in the luminescence. Yusei's brown gloves became living earth and his tunic sapphire blue. The red jewels on his clothing turned to blue and the black of his wet hair in his face deep indigo. The furious sky above shone the deepest amethyst color Yusei had ever seen, alight with all the passion and fury the prince recognized in someone else. And in the forest across from lay a fallen oak—once proud and sturdy with age—now crushed and toppled like a monarch too weary to keep the throne. And on the far side of the tree, just barely in the line of the raven prince, a spot of deep burgundy.

_Judai…no…_

But before a scream could escape his lips, the light was gone.

Stardust shrieked as the darkness spiraled back down and reared as high as his hind legs could lift him. Yusei wrapped his arms tightly around the horse's neck as he took off into the forest, the wind and rain slashing at them now more than ever. Branches cracked Yusei in the face and tore at his arms. The rain had ceased to be cold and turned to fire, searing his flesh, his eyes—anything that it could reach. The wind howled in his ears and made his eardrums ring with the concussion, the wails screeching like a thousand frightened women. The thudding sensation of Stardust galloping threw Yusei's nerves for a loop and made him lose track of what was up or what was down or what was even happening anymore. As the fire grew warmer his skin began to tingle, and he soon started to lose any sense of feeling. He tried to tighten his hold around Stardust's neck but couldn't find the strength to hold any more. His feet had fallen from the stirrups and now beat against his horse's belly, and his thighs started to slack from exhaustion of holding on so hard and for so long.

It was inevitable, but he struggled with all his might to keep from doing so. Still, luck was not his tonight, and fate wrenched his hands from his steed's neck and flung him from the horse. The world soon faded into black.

.o.

The town was void of any signs of life as Judai galloped through as fast as he could. Shops were closed and the pavilions tied down. Shutters and doors were locked tight, not an inch of light leaking through any of them. The king only slowed for the intersections in case someone came around the bend, but the streets were so empty that he eventually gave up and just plowed right on through, determined to reach the palace.

The portcullis was still up when he passed through the gates, and there were still a few people milling about under the cover of roofs or the wall. A few guards stood on hand and breathed sighs of relief as Judai appeared, giving way so that he could get to the stables as fast as possible. All of the animals kept on hand for the cooks or gardeners were gone from the courtyard and presumably back in the barns, the only animal and out about a drenched cat that seem undisturbed by the rain and a forgotten goose that was happily waddling about.

When he reached the stables, Judai expected to be rushed by stable hands looking to get them inside, but instead he was greeted with the sight of a drenched Jack Atlas. The king's hair had fallen from its spikes and clung to his neck, and its once blonde color had turned to a darker shade of honey from the rain. Instead of wearing the fancy white robes Judai had become accustomed to seeing him in, he was in a simple dark gray tunic with breeches meant for riding and a pair of tall boots. The rain made all the fabric stick to his body, and the fierce wind tinged his skin with light red. His crown, Judai noticed, was nowhere in sight.

He stood with his arms crossed and his shoulders braced, like he guarding the entrance to the stables. Had he a sword tied to his waist, Judai would've stopped his approach. Something about the way he was standing made the brunette feel like he was about to deal with the _real_ Jack Atlas, not the one he'd been hearing stories about for the past few days. The thought made him a little nervous.

Judai pulled Yubel to a stop before she ran Jack over, but before he could dismount was approached by the king who stormed up to him and grabbed Yubel's reins. Judai let him—Jack didn't strike him as the type to take aggression out on animals, anyways. The stable hands stayed back in the barn with Red Demon, who Judai noticed was saddled and prepared to go out for a ride. Had Jack meant to come out and find them? The brunette wanted to ask, but the look on Jack's face suggested that speaking would likely get him killed. Sitting up and keeping his neck out of Jack's reach suddenly felt wiser.

"Where the hell were you?!" Jack demanded. His voice had _no_ trouble cutting through the rain and wind.

"We went out to the forest!" Judai explained, although it was hard to muster his voice. All the screaming he had done earlier had taken its toll on him.

"I know you were out in the forest, you dimwitted child!" Jack barked. "I want to know why you weren't back sooner! Did you not see the clouds coming in?"

Judai's eyebrow twitched but he kept himself in check. "Yes, we saw the clouds coming in—"

"Then what took you so long?"

The younger king pondered over whether or not he should divulge what exactly had distracted the two boys. After a moment of having his face burned by Jack's intense glare, though, he decided it best to keep the foxes to himself. Cuddly animals were not likely a good reason for distraction in Jack's book. "We got distracted and forgot that we should be heading back."

"Distracted by what, exactly?"

Judai suddenly realized where the conversation was going. "For the last time, Yusei and I are just—"

Jack growled at the brunette king. "Do you honestly believe that's why I'm upset? Because I thought you two were fooling around behind my back?"

And suddenly Judai was glad his face was already red from the rain. "_Oh_…"

"Those woods are _full_ of old trees. Every time a storm comes around, dozens are knocked over in the wind. Getting caught out in the forest during at storm, _at night_," Jack ground out for emphasis, "is the worst mistake anyone can make. You're lucky you weren't crushed."

"Yeah," Judai said, glancing over his shoulder at the torn remnants of his cloak. In Yubel's fright she backed herself against a tree and Judai got caught on a branch. Tearing his cloak free was the only way to get out from under the tree in time, "I noticed."

"—not to mention the number of fires started by trees in storm. I don't know what you've done to deserve it, but someone up there must be looking after you, because I'm _astonished_ you're not dead."

Judai sighed. "I get it, Jack. I'm sorry." He shivered lightly. "Can I please get Yubel inside before we both get sick?"

Jack didn't seem to hear him.

Judai ended up nudging Yubel forward anyways, because Jack was far from over. He prattled on while Judai dismounted and led his horse inside the barn.

"—we live near the coast. We get the worst storms by far. I can't even begin to tell you how many tidal waves have destroyed homes in the next village. A few years back we had a storm that was so bad, fish had actually ended up on the streets!"

_I wish that this had been the Jack to greet me on the first day. I think that I would've gotten along better with him had I met the _real_ him_.

The man stood out in rain to wait, for God's sake. The Jack he met a few days back would never have done this.

People flocked around the smaller king and his horse, eager to get the wet tack off of Yubel and take her someplace dry. Judai let them; he knew that Jack would never allow people that knew less than everything there was to know about horses tend to the ones in his stable. As the din of the stable hands' voices grew softer once jobs were sorted out, Judai became aware of the lack of the other king's presence. He turned around to find Jack was back out in the rain once more, the torrents coming down even harder than before. Curious about his logic, Judai drew as close he dared to Jack, stepping out into the freezing rain once more. The amethyst eyes of Jack were glued to distant gate of the wall surrounding the palace, his body frozen in place.

Judai took a look around once he realized what was still missing and swallowed to bite back the uneasy feeling in his stomach. "Jack…where's Yusei?"

The king's stare never wavered, but you could hear the fear in his voice. "I thought he was with you…I thought he was just lagging behind…"

The brunette king suddenly realized the subtle clues that had been present earlier when he first arrived and found Jack waiting for him. Jack wouldn't have stayed out in the rain waiting for him—he was waiting for _Yusei_. And he would've asked Yusei the questions regarding their punctuality, not grill Judai for the answers. He had been so sure that Yusei had heard him when they were still in the forest even with all the noise. When he was met with silence he had assumed that Yusei had managed to work some sense back into Stardust and had already turned around and left.

_Oh no_…

He knew he should've gotten off Yubel and walked forward until he found Yusei! Despite the dark, he could've found his way as long as he was careful! He could've!

Judai clenched his hands as hard as he could until he felt his nails about to dig into his palms. He couldn't believe how _stupid_ he had been! And Yusei was the one paying the price…

"Your Majesty!"

Judai's head shot up at the sound of Godwin's voice and he saw the man emerge from palace through one of the back doors. He hurriedly wrapped himself in a cloak as he rushed down the stairs towards the stables, breaking form and darting the last couple of yards to the shelter of the barn so he could be dry again. Jack had left without Judai noticing and came back out of the stable with Red Demon by his side, his hands busy with a cloak that he was stuffing into a saddle bag. As soon as it was packed he was wrapping himself up in another cloak despite his wet clothes and mounting his horse with the ease of an experienced rider.

Godwin shot past Judai to his monarch, "Your Highness, wait! Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find Yusei!" Jack declared.

"But the storm—"

"I don't care!" Jack pushed Godwin away from his horse before the man could take the reins. "I can't just leave him out there. I'm going to look for him—I know those forests better than anyone!"

"But what if he returns?" Godwin reasoned. "Nothing will change—we'll still be short one man."

"Then sound off three cannons if he's found," Jack ordered, "and I'll know to come back."

"But the sun has fallen! How on earth are you going to navigate through the forest at night during a storm without injuring yourself?"

"I told you, Godwin, I'll be fine! Now stop puttering around and set up a watch in case Yusei does in fact make it out—"

"Jack, stop."

Judai knew better than intervene in a fight that wasn't his, but he realized that if he didn't reach out to the different Jack now, all hopes of him and Yusei setting things straight were gone. They'd fight and argue until one of them died, and it wasn't going to be Jack whose body gave out first. "Wait until the storm is over to go look for him. Searching now would be suicide."

"And waiting will only get Yusei killed!"

_There it is! There's the man that Yusei saw beneath the regal exterior_.

"No, it won't!" Judai exclaimed. "You saw the Satellite, Jack! It's nothing but forest for miles. Yusei spent his whole life growing up in a forest—he knows how to survive, I promise. In fact, I bet he's already tucked away somewhere, waiting for the storm to end so he can travel safely and without risk to himself or his horse." Judai came closer to Jack, hoping that his eyes conveyed enough truth to get him to back down. "He'll be just fine, Jack. A little wet and probably hungry, but just fine."

Jack glared at him before turning his head away stiffly, but Judai could already see that he was rethinking his plan by the number of times he clenched the reins.

"I know you won't believe that he's safe until he's back home, but you have to have a little faith in him, Jack. He knows what he's doing." Actually, he probably wouldn't be satisfied until he had Yusei in his arms, but that was a private thing between him and Yusei. That didn't need to be said in front of Jack's servants.

Jack continued to stew in the silence, the white noise of the pattering rain enough to keep the awkwardness at bay. Judai felt confident that he could take the reins of Red Demon without losing a hand—

The large horse took a snap at his side when his hand came close. _Never mind that then_… "Jack, I don't really understand Yusei's feelings regarding you. All I know is that he seems ready to defend you whenever someone makes a comment regarding you and your methods. I don't know how you interpret that, but I definitely think that that's means something. Yusei won't defend anyone—regardless if they have previous faults or not—unless he believes they're worth it."

Judai paused to let his words settle in the king's mind before he continued. He purposefully left out the part where Yusei would run away from the palace to avoid confronting Jack. He figured that Jack already knew why Yusei ran off each day, and probably didn't need it repeated to him. Judai took another breath to show he was continuing, "If you go out and look for him now, I promise you that you'll make Yusei more upset then you will happy. He might be grateful for the help, but he'll never forgive you for risking your life to find him. And when Yusei's develops a grudge, I assure you, he never lets it go."

_And neither do you_…

Jack glanced briefly at the brunette king through the rain. His jaw was set, but his eyes betrayed his indecision. Or so Judai thought.

The blonde king tightened his hold on the reins.

.o.

**And now it's 12:09 in the morning! I better stop here before I write more…**


	6. Art of Losing

**I have to get as much of this story done while I can. My final year of school approaches, and I fear that it will be far worse than last year. I'm learning a new language, a new science, trying to get my body into as peak physical condition as I can, and doing more art than I think my hands can handle. I shudder to think how slow my progression will be once school starts again…**

**Anyways, here's to chapter 12. 15 pages, you guys! I think my fuel to get this done was seeing the _Jack x Yusei_ video on YouTube called "Hot Mess". The song is now lodged in my brain.**

**Warnings: Mind rape and cliff hangers. Other than that, I think it's clean. I split this chapter into two parts, because it was getting so long I thought it wouldn't be digestible in one sitting.**

Chapter 12—Part One: The Art of Losing

The first thing his mind registered was warmth. Constant, all encompassing _warmth_. Nothing else.

_Is this what it's like for a child in their mother's womb? Complete and utter darkness…and warmth?_

It felt…safe.

But he couldn't stay like that forever.

He tried opening his eyes, but found that they were glued shut. No amount of force would open them. Every time he tried, tiredness swept over him like a gentle ocean wave, and he lost the power to move. After several attempts, he was content to give up and continue laying there in that warmth. That beautiful, soft, _warmth_.

As his breathing slowly adjusted to his awakened—well, partially awakened—state, he began to take in his surroundings. The smell of damp earth, freshly watered and teeming with nutrients for the trees. It wasn't its usual potency—a lingering smell that followed you throughout a forest but subtle enough that it didn't register in mind. This was a far more powerful scent, like his nose was buried in it. Decaying leaves, a stench that reminded him of home but was not nearly as pleasant as living plants, were equally present in the mixture of smells. Judging by the strength of which he was being assaulted, he could only assume that he was on the ground. Another sniff. Yes, on the ground, and face down.

After what he assumed was several minutes of this, his hearing soon came into play as well. As first everything was muffled, but soon his hunter's keen hearing came back to him and he was able to properly register his surrounds. The lack of much activity told him it was still morning, but after last night's storm, he had a feeling that the forest would be much quieter for a while. There were a few birds chirping in the lofty branches of the trees, their songs short and fast paced as the small group chattered amongst themselves. A dove cooed somewhere in the distance, and at his level he could pick out the mellow caw of a crow, the sound as sickly as the bird it came from. He could hear it hopping amongst the scattered leaves and twigs strewn about by the wind from the night before, pushing the lifeless plants aside to get to whatever lay underneath—most likely a deceased victim of the storm.

_I hope the foxes are all right_…

He continued to lie there on the ground, content with laying still on the ground and not doing anything. His parents would have disapproved of their son rolling in mud, and he suddenly felt grateful for the lack of their presence. Because he wasn't sure he could get up at the moment.

His sense of touch slowly crawled back into his skin, nerves rejuvenated by his lack of consciousness for so many hours. His gloves had dried, and now he could feel the clumps of dirt rolling between his fingers. The sediment was a thick consistency of mud filled with hard pieces of rock or seeds. His front felt largely damp from being pressed against the ground for so long, but his back had dried considerably. Once feeling had returned to all extremities he curled his toes, the dampness still settled in his boots and making his feet itch uncomfortably. He tried wiggling his back to make sure nothing was wrong, although if he could move his toes then his back was probably all right. His sides felt a little sore and his head was beginning to throb, but all in all, he was unharmed. He decided that perhaps stretching a little after being in a cramped position for so long would help, but found his movements restricted by the heavy weight on top of him, pushing his arms and body down against the ground.

_Did a tree fall on me?_

He made another attempt at opening his eyes so that he might see whatever had landed on him in the middle of the night, but still had no luck in opening his eyes. Fed up with being face down in the dirt, he was about to try rolling over when the warmth suddenly tightened around him and someone sighed.

He was quick to hold his breath and listen for the sounds of another person breathing, but suddenly thought back to a conversation he had had earlier…

"_If you're going to continue pretending to be asleep, at least remember to breathe. Holding your breath just gives you away."_

It was painful to resume breathing when he still held so much air in his lungs already, but to keep up appearances it was all he could do. He tried to keep it down, like a sleeping person might, and strained to listen for the quiets breaths above him.

In and out…in and out…

The one trapping him was fast asleep, their arms wrapped around his body protectively, face buried in his hair and breath warming his neck. He couldn't tell whether or not his captor was male or female, but judging from the length of the body and weight, he was positive it was another man, although their frame felt slender instead of bulky. When he shifted his arms in the hopes of pretending to stir, the weight around his arms lessened, and then they were free.

He twisted around so that he completely flat on his stomach before stretching his arms out in front of him, the blood starting to circulate once more and return the lost power to his limbs. Once he was confident that they could move without pain he prepared to push himself up and topple the one holding him down. Unfortunately, he forgot to factor in the other variable to his problem.

The arms that once held him returned and he was rolled backwards and onto his side, the other person pressed tight against his back. Arms wound around his body and found his hand, interlacing their fingers together and holding them against his now quivering chest.

"_Please…just a little longer_…"

That voice…

His heart began to race as he fought so hard to remember whose voice that was and the mouth it belonged to. That mouth, so soft, which was now pressed against the throbbing pulse in his neck, warming it with steamy air that sent chills down his body. He tried to control his breathing, his erratic pulse and nervous breath undoubtedly alerting the other to his fear. He didn't know what to do.

"_You're safe. I promise…Please, just go back to sleep for a little while longer_…" That promise was sealed with a kiss on his neck, the lips so pleasantly moist and tender that he couldn't stave off the rush of heat to his face, no doubt illuminating him in crimson embarrassment. He panicked, unsure of a proper response to such behavior. Should he fight to get him off? Surely, he must try—even if he couldn't see. To allow someone to be so intimate with him when he had no idea who they were was unthinkable—

"_You're so cute, Yusei_." The voice laughed softly. A hand swept across his ignited cheeks, which felt all the more on fire when compared to the cool touch. "_Don't worry—I'm not going to do anything improper…Just go back to sleep. I'll awaken you when it's time for the dream to end_."

What dream? Was this not reality? And his voice…he knew that voice...

"_Shall I sing you a lullaby and rock those worries away_…" Those cool hands pushed away the fringe of hair tickling his nose before tracing a small path down his face to the corner of his mouth. A thumb brushed his lower lip gently, smoothing over a rough spot where he must have bit the night before. "_I know only one song, but it's the one my mother used to sing to me before she died_."

_No, no… _A soft kiss fluttered on the edge of his mouth, gentle and slow and all the more worrying. He fought—no, struggled—to open his eyes and face the man behind him. The man with the light, tender voice and the smooth hands and the warm heavy body that was holding him to the earth—

_No!_

He couldn't move. He was stuck.

The man began to sing, his words at first incomprehensible but gradually growing clearer as he raised voice. Wave after wave of weariness crashed against his shore, withdrawing and pushing in a constant rocking motion that made him grow dizzy. As the song carried on a hand drew itself through his hair, running through the tangles and knots until they came free from their chains and gave way to his fingers. He tried twisting his body and shaking his head, but his efforts remained in vain. He could not get free…

The smell of earth started to fade. The grit of the mud and rocks turned to feathers in his grasp before his nerves failed him all together. The fingers twisted in his hair felt weightless while his eyelids grew heavy. The world came spinning down upon him in an uncontrollable wind, throwing him into the air only to crush him into the ground.

And Yusei quickly passed out to the sound of Jack singing a lullaby.

.o.

The blonde king looked ready to fall asleep on his feet.

Judai hadn't asked him how he slept the other night, although he was confident his concern would be in vain. He had hardly acknowledged anyone's presence at the dining room table that morning and scarfed down as much food as he could before wordlessly leaving to finalize the preparations for the search. Not much was said during the brief breakfast, but Judai could see that the king's sudden reappearance was startling to the Fudos, especially after the vanishing act he had performed for several days. When Judai finally found him outside, Jack had collected several men and horses together and had them all waiting quietly in the courtyard. He was quick and efficient as he grouped them together, their names already familiar to him, and the men did as he ordered and without question.

It was surprising that they didn't stare at their king, who looked even less unsightly that morning then he did the night before. The man's eyes were bloodshot and his hair a disheveled mess of blond tangles. His clothes—which he hadn't changed out of—were horribly wrinkled, and he smelled vaguely of the sweat that came with scream-inducing nightmares. At a glimpse (from a reasonable distance with downwind), it made him look semi-attractive in a rugged sort of way, but fleeting attractiveness did little for the minds of two Fudos and one Godwin.

They did not want him wandering through the forest, especially now.

The search party would've left sooner had Godwin not stopped to argue with Jack about his state of mind and appearance. He feared the Jack would be susceptible to illness or delusions for having stayed up all night mapping out a plan, but Jack wanted none of it. He argued that the men had seen him look far worse (and that they still respected him) and that they weren't riding off into battle. This did nothing to the effect Jack wanted, and Godwin's glare only grew sterner. Still, the blonde's respect for the older man held him back long enough to sit through Godwin's second tirade, if just to humor him. Of course, half way through the lecture Judai was subject to severe glaring by the blonde, as Godwin kept stating how much more awake and presentable he looked than Jack. Judai shrugged when Jack shot him questioning looks, as if Godwin's concerns had been his idea, but Godwin still won out in the end. Or, at least a little.

A few minutes later—and he did mean a few minutes—Jack was back outside and sitting as tall as he could on Red Demon, head high and proud and back ramrod straight. _In a different shirt_.

Yes, Godwin's fifteen minutes of arguing got him only that—a clean shirt on Jack. But it calmed the lord down enough that he got out of Jack's way. Judai would've found it amusing had Yusei's life not been on the line—was appearance honestly that important to Godwin? Yusei wouldn't have cared less if they all rode into the forest naked to find him—just as a long as they promised to get him home and something to eat.

_Okay—he might have a problem with the naked part_…Judai shook his head free of the mental image of a stark naked Jack parading through a forest on his horse, looking for Yusei, no less. That was one fantasy he hoped to never see…

"You will all maintain visual contact with each other. _No_ going off on your own," Jack ordered, teeth clenched and fists balled tightly around the reins of his horse, "If you spot something, you are to let the others around you know so that your whereabouts remain clear. I will not tolerate any of you falling out of line. You go in with your group, and you will come out with your group, is that clear?"

A strong chorus of "Yes, Your Majesty" and "Yes, Your Highness" chimed out in response. Judai was impressed with the soldiers' resolve. Then again, when your commander gave clear orders that left no room for second guesses, it was hard not to have a firm resolve. He watched Jack continue to issue orders, pausing once in his listening to bite back a smirk that threatened to surface. The blonde king gave orders and expected them to be followed, but he knew that the moment he and Judai hit the edge of the forest that the king would take off as fast as he could and without any care as to where his soldiers were going.

"Should you spot Prince Yusei and his horse, you are to blow the horn 3 times, and then exit the forest. Get him back here as fast as you can."

_So you did listen to me_… Judai thought sarcastically. The words "Queen Yusei" had not been uttered at all this morning, or last night. The brunette was impressed that his fellow king heeded his words.

"If you find only his horse, blow the horn once, and then resume your search. If the horse is dead, start a fire so that the body may be found later. There's no point in wasting any good tack if it's salvageable."

One soldier piped up. "My Lord, if the animal is critically injured, dragging it with us will only serve to slow us down—"

"If the horse is that badly wounded it's as good as dead. Don't hamper your progress by trying to bring it along."

Judai swallowed to keep any retort from forming. If Stardust was hurt badly enough that he wouldn't make it, he knew Yusei would at least want to say good bye.

_No. Jack is right. If Stardust is that badly hurt, leaving him alive would just be cruel_…

He prayed pretty damn hard right then and there that both Yusei and Stardust were fine.

"If you find only Prince Yusei, mark the area where you found him, blow the horn twice, and then everyone reconvene on the edge of the forest. If he's conscious and can give any clues as to where his horse went, I will go back and try to find it. The horse may still be carrying a map of the grounds, and I do not want that falling into the wrong hands. Are we clear?"

The same chorus of agreement erupted again.

Jack sighed to himself before discreetly blinking his eyes enough times to clear his eyesight. Judai must not have been the only one to have caught it, because Godwin tapped his leg a moment later. The brunette looked down at him from Yubel quizzically.

"Your Highness, may I ask that you keep an eye on King Jack? If he shows any signs of collapse, will you stop him from going any further?"

The younger king glanced up Jack, whose back was now to him as he answered his men's questions. Jack would sooner beat Judai senseless than let the younger king halt his progress. "I can't make any promises, Lord Godwin." Judai whispered in return. "But I'll try." …_to stay out of his way_.

"All right, then," Jack's voice suddenly boomed. All eyes were on him now. "You have your orders. Move out!"

One burly soldier at the front of the pack spurred his horse in the direction of the gate. "You heard the man! Let's go!"

Fifteen soldiers charged out of the gate and into the town surrounding the palace. Judai nodded his head in the Fudos' direction before siding alongside Jack, who had waited for the soldiers to leave first.

"You ready to go?" Judai asked.

Jack didn't reply, choosing instead to lean forward and rest his elbows on the pommel of his saddle and bury his face in his hands. He didn't make any sounds that would indicate frustration or sadness, but Judai could sense that something was off. He lightly gripped the king's shoulder. "Jack?"

"I'm fine," the king mumbled. "Stop touching me. I don't need comforting."

Judai rolled his eyes at the blonde and let go. He waited patiently for the other king to get his wits about him, frowning at Godwin to leave when the gray haired man tried to come close. He didn't keep track of the time for his own sake, but he couldn't help but feel antsy as he kept waiting. Still, Jack wouldn't appreciate it if he took off without him, and Judai knew that now of all time was probably the best to show him he could be trusted—or at least convince him he wasn't an enemy. Whether or not the plan would work was an entirely different story, as Judai was the one who lost Yusei in the forest and didn't go back for him when he should've, but it wouldn't hurt to try. He had no idea if Jack believed that it was Judai's fault for putting Yusei in this predicament, and he wasn't about to ask.

"Okay," Jack muttered after a few more minutes of silence. "Let's go."

Judai followed him without question. They trotted at a relatively slow pace through the town, garnering only a few stares from the people, but not much beyond that. Judai honestly expected there to be a greater reaction from the people at the sight of their monarch, and was surprised to see that there wasn't. It was probably for the best, though. Jack's expression read that he would kick just about anyone who tried to talk to him.

Once they cleared the town limits and crossed into the fields Jack picked up the pace and they cantered to the forest. From where Judai sat he could see the glimpses of a final group of soldiers disappearing into the forest. Although soft, the words "Prince Yusei!" could be heard echoing throughout the trees. As they drew closer to the tree line, Jack suddenly pulled his horse to a stop and stared at the looming forest.

Judai slowed Yubel to a walk after overtaking Jack, and he turned around to look at the man quizzically. Had he known that a storm was currently flooding Jack's system he might've kept his distance, but instead he closed the space between them to get a better look at Jack's face, his eyes unusually dark. "Jack—"

Jack had him in a tight grip faster than Judai could dodge. The larger man refrained from wrapping a hand around his neck, but the desire to do was clear in his eyes. He pulled Judai by the front of his tunic until the two were touching foreheads. "You and I will not leave this forest until Yusei is safe. Do you understand?"

The smaller king simply nodded, both hands clutching the other hand that was fisted in his shirt. It was choking him. "Got…it…"

"Good. Now let's go find him."

.o.

"_Wake up, Yusei_…"

He was plummeting through the depths of the oceans. All around him droned the water, bubbles hissing past his ears and leaving a discernable trail back up to the surface. When he glanced behind him, all he saw was black. When he looked up, a glimmer of sunlight shot through the volumes of water and illuminated his body.

"_Yusei, get up_…"

He could feel himself sinking deeper and deeper into the water, but found it odd that the light did not begin to shrink in its glow the lower he sank. Instead, all that alerted him to his growing peril was the pressure of the water, the weight of it increasing with every inch that he fell. It wrapped around him like thick chains that slowly constricted his body. His arms grew heavier with the weight and could no longer propel him. His legs felt as if they were laden down with stones, dragging him down and into the abyss…

"_Your loved ones are searching for you, Yusei. It's time to wake up_."

His head soon began to pound incessantly, the water oozing through his skin and straight to the bone of his cranium. It pulled at the calcium, forcing the bone to crack and fragment. He tried to shake his head when it felt like a snake was trying to invade his head, but his strength had been swept away by the current. There was nothing he could do but let his tears mix with the water, vanishing into the darkness that would soon become his grave. It hurt so much…

"_Yusei, the dream must end. You have to wake up_."

"I can't…" He cried to the voice. Couldn't they see that there was nothing he could do?

"_Yes, you can_."

"It hurts…"

"_Because you're bearing it all on your own, Yusei. You have to let others in_."

Audible cracking filled his ears as the water finally split the bone. He tried to scream as blood flooded the water around him and dispersed into a crimson fog, but no sound could escape his lips. It gushed from his head like a tireless waterfall, a never-ending stream of his life force being wasted on an unfeeling sea that did not need it.

"_Take my hand, Yusei…trust me to help you_."

A shadow fell across his face as a silhouette descended upon him. An outstretched hand, waiting for his returned grip.

"_Please, Yusei. Trust me_."

He tried not to think about it, but the memories came flooding back in without remorse. A winter morning that felt so far away and yet like it was happening all over again. A slip and tumble in the snow—a smash as a weak body sick with fever hit the ice of the pond. The doomed sound of ice snapping as it fractured into a dangerous spider web with him caught in the middle. A scream for help, a reach of a hand.

He could still see clearly, the memory he never wanted to relive, of a young boy running away and not returning. He could still feel the sharpness of the water beneath the ice, the needles that jabbed at him relentlessly as he invaded their territory. He wasn't sure what miracle had lent him the strength to pull his body from the water, but he knew that it hadn't gone so far as to bring him back his friend.

"Kalin…"

"_I know he didn't come back for you, Yusei. I know that no one back for you. But I'm here now. Trust me_…"

The arm extended itself to him, buzzing with the beautiful warmth he remembered so well from before. It was right before him…right in his reach…

"I can't move…"

"_You don't want to move, Yusei. That's why you're stuck. If you want to leave, you have to ask me to help you. Say my name, Yusei. Ask for my help_."

"But I don't know your name…"

"_Yes, you do. You just don't trust me enough to say it_."

The flow of blood increased. The light of the sun just past the shield of water flickered like a candle in winter's harsh wind. He was disappearing at last…

"_I'll help you, Yusei. Who's the one you can't live without?"_

The sun flickered again, warning him of his descent. His heart stopped pounding as he stared at the outstretched hand, astonished at the declaration that the voice just made.

"Who's the one…I can't live without…"

The weight suddenly dropped and he was lighter than air. He screamed at the top of his lungs as the outstretched hand pulled him back up through the depths, the sun spiraling at him at a speed he wasn't sure he could handle. His breath suddenly failed him and he could feel his lungs collapsing with the lack of air to inflate them. His skin felt like it was being ripped from his muscles and his bones cracked and shattered as he fought through the force of the water. His heart erupted in the sharpest pain he had ever felt as he burst through the surface. He let loose the loudest cry he was capable of while warm arms enveloped his frame, holding him too tightly to a broad chest.

"_Very good, Yusei. Very good. I wish that I could stay and continue to guide you, but our time is up. I love you, Yusei. I love you with all my being. And I enjoyed this time we spent together. Take care until we meet again_."

He tried to look into the eyes of the man who just confessed his feelings, but the sun was so great that he couldn't even make out the outline of his face. "Who are you?!"

"_One day, Yusei. One day. Now end the dream. Your loved ones are trying to find you…_"

In an instant the cold of the ocean and heat of the body vanished, and Yusei sat up straight from the ground, doused in a freezing sweat that left him shaking with tremors. His head began to throb as all of his senses returned to him at once, flooding his nerves with feeling at the highest magnitude he had ever experienced. When the sensory overload slowed and his mind returned, Yusei found himself staring at a vast expanse of unfamiliar forest and broken trees.

The warmth was gone, and owner of the voice left no evidence of him having been there. Yusei rose slowly and did a careful 360 of his surroundings, heart sinking at every foreign path and branch. The only that kept him from collapsing to his knees in utter exhaustion was the arrow scratched in the dirt in front of him, pointing in the direction behind him.

.o.

As soon as his legs could support him without collapsing—which was quite a long wait—Yusei started a slow climb up the nearest tree. His limbs still trembled in the shock of the feverish dream he had just endured, but he did his best to will them to stop. If he slipped, it would certainly be a long fall to the ground.

The prince had followed the direction the arrow pointed him in for about three steps when he realized the absurdity of trusting directions given to him by a stranger. A stranger who slept with him on the ground, no less, and begged him to stay. Yusei didn't feel violated like he expected he would after such an experience, but his lips still tingled with the slight kisses that had been laid on the edge of his mouth. He couldn't say that he was eager to run into a person who would touch him so openly (and that included Jack, although he was more familiar with the man—if being molested by him after having just met the hour before counted for anything) and knew that he should verify the directions he was given before following them. Whether or not the arrow would lead him in the direction of the pervert would remain unclear, but he figured he might as well check before going.

As he reached the highest boughs of the tree he paused to breathe, his heart driving him insane with its furious pounding. He forced himself to the very top after a minute, poking his face up out of the leaves only to be hit with a concussive gust of wind. Despite the stinging sensation in his eyes, the blast of air was welcome. It was different smell than that of the forest, a mixture of smoke and ash, the distant tang of seawater, and sweet smell of barley and grain in the fields. Yusei breathed it in deeply—his home smelled nothing like this, and to waste the experience would be foolish. As soon as it died down and he could open his eyes, Yusei found himself staring at the small speck that had become Neo Domino palace, its beautiful walls glittering white even at the distance that he stood. He still had miles of forest in between him and the farmlands, but seeing the palace renewed his hope. The arrow had been pointing in the right direction after all.

He didn't climb down right away, a little overcome with memories of having done a similar thing as a kid growing up in the heavily forested Satellite. An adventurous child, he had never been able to resist the temptation of vanishing into the trees and the mountains for hours at a time, his lunch consisting of any berries or wild roots that he stumbled upon. Yusei had lost count of the number of times he had gotten turned around in the forest. At first the incident had frightened him into behaving for a few months, his father and some of the villagers having found him curled up in a nest of bushes weeping in fear of being eaten by dragon, but the second time Yusei had realized that he could've climbed to the top of a tree and simply looked around for the familiar parapets of home. Doing it again made him feel like the lost little boy from so many years ago, too naïve to be frightened of much and more energetic than most kids his age.

_I wonder if Jack ever did this as a child_, he thought curiously. _If he had a map of favorite spots to visit in the forest, then surely he must have done some adventuring_? _I wonder if we might've gotten along better had we met sooner_…

It was a good question, and Yusei found himself wanting answers. His urge to get back to the palace became a little stronger. _It feels as if we have been at odds for so long—maybe this might be what breaks the ice_.

The climb down the beautiful tree was much faster, and as soon as his toes dusted the earth he was off at a light jog. Judging by position of the sun in the sky, it was pretty close to noon. He had roughly eight hours to get close to the city limits before dark would fall and he'd be trapped in the forest again. Having missed dinner last night and breakfast that morning (and now lunch this afternoon) he was ready to eat, and his only access to cooked food would be at the palace. Unfortunately, he knew he would have to stop jogging eventually. Given how well the Satellite trained you to find your body's physical limits, at least two-thirds of the way through he'd have to stop expending so much energy.

Recognizing that that was a very real possibility given his current state of hunger and thirst, Yusei realized that he needed to locate water before the day was out. He had neglected to do so when he had been lost in the forest once as a child (this time in a different part) and the result had been very punishing, indeed. Not wanting to relive the same torment a second time around, Yusei slowed to a walk and began to study the ground. Water first, jog later.

Animal tracks were generally a good lead towards water, but more than that was moist ground. Unfortunately, the storm had turned the majority of the ground into a giant mess of sludge, rendering the method pointless. His boots made sucking noises every time he lifted a foot, and his legs were already splattered with mud from running without a care for how dirty he got. He'd be reliant on his ears and animal tracks to find water that day. Yusei knew that he could collect small sips of water from any plants that caught some of the water in their leaves, but the area of forest he found himself in was largely devoid of bushes and lower lying plants.

_Oh, well. This isn't the first time that I've been in this situation_, Yusei thought to himself. Growing up in the Satellite had provided him with outdoor survival experience. The castle was lodged deep within the forest, trees and rocky hillsides surrounding it for miles. Food was scarce, and growing vast amounts of crops was not optional where he lived. Most of their vegetables were leaves, fungi, and roots found growing in the forest, small bushels that were harvested from personal gardens, or imported foods from out of the country. Meat was the main source of food for them, and none of them were too picky about which animal it was derived from. Yusei chuckled out loud to himself when he remembered that Jack had savored squirrel at dinner in the Satellite, and _liked it_. Had he known where it came from, he surely would've voiced a different opinion.

_Why are people so biased about what animal their meat came from, I don't think I'll ever understand_.

Poorer people, he believed, made some of the most inventive cooks.

He kept up his usual pace through the trees, although his path was slightly hindered by roadblocks like fallen trees that were simply too large around for him to scale easily. He tried to resume his course from the area of the tree where he first met it, but at one point felt like he was getting a little sidetracked from his course, and scaled another tree to adjust it. As he walked along he also noticed the number of dead animals lying about, many consisting of birds or deer. Rodents that lived under the ground were seemingly spared the violent beating that the above ground creatures had taken, and it lifted his spirits about the vixen and her kits. Passing a poor doe that had been speared by a branch, Yusei considered cutting some chunks from her thigh with the small knife he kept on hand, but then thought better off it. A fresh deer would be one thing, but not knowing how decayed she was could result in food poisoning. He was no stranger to raw venison, but figured he better pass this opportunity up. That, and that smell of blood and decayed would likely be a call for the living carnivores to come check out the situation—best leave them to discover the doe on their own.

In the Satellite, game was scarce around the confines of the wall and the village. To obtain meat beyond their goats and infrequent cows required that hunters go on week long trips to find better game in deeper parts of the forest. Yusei had been taught—along with many other children, boys and girls alike—from a very young age how to hunt and track game, as well as skin and prepare it for storage. A lot of their meat was smoked or dried to keep it in a good condition, and so their meals were a little different from what most meat based meals were. For the sake of keeping up appearances for Neo Domino, a lot of the food served had been freshly killed and then promptly cooked. His parents had dug into their vegetable storage to make sure that there was plenty to eat, something which Yusei had heavily disagreed with. He wasn't afraid to show how different the backwater Satellite was from the rich locale that was Neo Domino, and part of him wondered if that might've changed Jack's mind about taking him for a bride.

_Then again, he strikes me as the type that wants whatever information he can get and prefers having variety over similarity_. Taking a bride that was not remotely within the same area of influence actually seemed very smart, now that he considered it, although relatively pointless if said bride was male. What did Jack expect to have happen once he died? If they married (and he shuddered at the thought) did he expect the two of them to take a few women to bear their children? Although the idea was completely pragmatic, Yusei wasn't sure if he could ever do something like that. That was taking the private act of sexual relations between partners and throwing it _waaayyy_ out into the open where it didn't belong.

_I kind of want to ask him about that, too, although it would be in my best interest to ask that after the hundred days are up. Asking now would only further fuel the flames that are driving him to win me over. Not that his plan is going well so far, but I wouldn't put it past him to change his strategy_.

Yusei cleared his mind of the idea and tried to focus on finding water again. If he thought any more on the subject, he'd either work himself into a state of anger or spark the need to have his question answered so badly that Jack would certainly interpret it as interest in their "relationship". He did not need that to be the welcome he received once he got back…

He spotted a few freckles of white dotting the carcass of an old tree that had fallen long ago, and diverted from his path to investigate. Much to his joy, they were edible mushrooms. He plucked them hastily and downed them in record time, already searching for more after a minute of eating. He found a few more on the same tree, and then another small cluster a few trees away. He consumed them all with the ravenous appetite that might've put Jack's eating to shame, and savored each bite as the taste of forest and home fell down his gullet. Mushrooms forever held a special place for him during meals, symbols of his efforts to provide for his people, as they were the first thing he had ever harvested. No longer did he gallivant through the forest on imaginary quests that he conjured up in his mind, but for a decent purpose that would benefit the ones he cared for.

His status as a monarch had meant little when survival was involved, and he had been grateful for the chance to be treated like an ordinary teenager instead of prince. Hunting and gathering had not only taught him how to survive, but it had also given him a chance to make friends. Having had no siblings and with cousins that lived far away from the Satellite, his main source of friendship became the other boys and girls in his village, whom he'd rough house with and play tricks on. They had grown to be pretty close companions, and his parents had encouraged their friendships. Even Judai had managed to earn an honorary place in their ranks—although it might have had a bit to do with his memorable gifts of candy and treats from the foreign Neospacian lands.

Looking back on it, though, Yusei now understood that his parents only supported their relationships because they thought that Yusei would be stuck in the Satellite for the rest of his life. Marriage to a princess wouldn't have bought him freedom to go live somewhere else, so close relationships to those of a lower caste didn't matter. Yusei wouldn't have been surprised if he had been allowed to marry a woman from the village—the monarchs and the people mixed so much that no one would've batted an eye. The Fudo family wasn't very rich with royal blood, either—Yusei's mother was not a royal, although her station had been higher than a commoner, and so had many other Fudos been. Not only that, but their relationship with the Neospacian lords and the North Scandinavian-Denmark Order was so casual that they had forgotten that other communities still existed, and no marriage proposals had come from either country, as the ones next in line to take the throne already had significant others. Preparing the heir of the Satellite for a life of marriage to a foreign wife and having more children to take Yusei's place had taken the backburner because it hadn't been necessary at the time. The sudden arrival of people from Neo Domino had been humbling, indeed.

And yet, Yusei supposed that it made the moments of his past that much sweeter. It was a depressing thought, but the bonds he had built with kids in the village meant more to him than escaping the Satellite to see the world. He wouldn't trade anything for the time he spent with them, and if a lifetime of living in that forest and never leaving was the price, then he'd pay it happily.

_It figures that someone who had the power to forever dictate my life would show up as soon as I accepted my life there_…

Yusei closed his eyes to force his thoughts from his head. If he continued with that thought he'd just make himself more upset with Jack. The two of them had even problems as it was—he certainly didn't need to make matters worse by showing up at the palace with a sour disposition. It distressed him enough already that he hadn't had a chance to say goodbye to any of his friends before he left, and bringing them into his and Jack's quarrel would make matters far worse than they already were.

_Focus, Yusei, focus! If you truly care about them you'll make it out of this forest alive and you'll make it back to the Satellite once the hundred days are up!_

Having relaxed his hunger for the moment, the prince felt ready to start jogging again. Now that his mind wasn't distracted with the thought of food, he could focus on the ground as he ran and locate tracks while on his way back to the palace. He took off eagerly and with the passion of a small child playing tag with his friends. At one point he paused to let himself breathe and climb another tree to make sure he was still on course, but beyond that his run was relatively unhindered. He did pause to follow a set of tracks, although it led him to a dead animal, and he stopped to remove a rock that had trapped a turtle between it and tree. At first he was convinced that the turtle was dead anyways, but felt satisfied in seeing it eventually stick its head back out and begin to toddle away. He continued on his trek at a walk again, eventually catching another set of deer tracks the veered slightly off to the right of his intended course. The sun was beginning to descend in the sky, although it was still high enough in the air that he didn't feel concerned.

He followed the tracks carefully for a few minutes when he heard the faint rushing sound of water. Picking up the pace he was rewarded with the growing noise of water. His tongue's reaction seemed to be to suddenly dry itself, or maybe it was just that dry all along and he hadn't noticed until now. Either way, it wouldn't remain that dry for long. He sprinted the last few yards to the stream and found that he recognized it. He and Judai had passed it once before, and if his memory served him right, it would eventually empty out into the sea near the Neo Domino harbor. The portion they had swerved past was far deeper than the patch he found, which made it less risky to scoop water from. He wasted no time getting to his knees and palming the water up to his mouth, the soothing gush of water so much more satisfying then he remembered.

Has water always tasted this good?

He drank enough to moisten his tongue again and then stopped, giving his mostly empty stomach a chance to handle the water. Once it had hit his stomach and settled he went back for a more filling drink, and was ready to take his time when he heard a large snap of wood.

He paused for a moment and waited for a recurring sound, but nothing happened. _It was probably just an animal looking for a drink and not expecting me to be here_. He resumed his quest for water and began to lap it up again, but it was not long before he heard a second snap of branches, this one much closer than before. He tried not to think too much about it, as the forest had been cracking all day with the broken limbs collapsing here and there. It was likely just that, or birds mistaking a branch to be stronger than it was. He was about to go for a few more sips, but stopped before he touched the water.

It felt as though he was being _watched_.

Yusei calmly resumed drinking the water, although he started to shift his legs around so that he was crouched instead of kneeling. If anything—or anyone—was watching him, it would be in his best interest not to alert them to his awareness. He pondered briefly on the identity of the watcher, and wondered if it was the man who held him earlier.

_No, not likely. He was secretive at the time, but if he ran into me again I doubt he'd hide himself. He didn't strike me as _that_ secretive_…

He wanted to look around and see if his surroundings had changed, but fought the urge. He had to make it all look natural, as if he wasn't aware at all. Had it been someone intent on killing him, they would've taken their shot at him already when his neck was still bared. Even someone merely looking to detain him could've had a reasonable chance had they struck a moment ago. No, this was something far different. Something, feral…

It couldn't have been Jack or Judai, and if it had been any number of the villagers or even someone who lived in the woods, they would've come out and said something. Yusei felt threatened at the moment, and he knew better than to disregard a gut feeling. If only he could estimate where the person was waiting…

Figuring he needed to be standing up now and "going about his way", Yusei eased himself onto his feet and brushed his knees off with a casual dusting, careful not to show that his gaze was darting in every which direction. He then straightened his back and looked ahead, nearly biting his tongue off in the effort not to yell in surprise.

Across the river stood the largest, nastiest looking wolf he had ever seen, with an eye that looked puffy and swollen with infection and bare patches of red skin that was no doubt a result of parasites or fleas. Its jaws were dripping with foam and too much saliva for any normal starving wolf, and its gaze was aimed at Yusei. It was sick, and if he had a bow he would've shot it without question to put it out of his misery. But all he had was a small knife in his boots meant for far smaller objects, and if he moved for it now he was dead. The water was more than shallow enough for the wolf to cross, and the distance between them was only a few yards at most.

And he knew it would take the wolf no time to get to him.

Yusei averted his eyes just enough to not seem like he was challenging the wolf but still keep it in sight. He started to back up slowly and towards the trees, hoping that the wolf wouldn't follow. It may have been hungry, but sickness made it look a little delusional. If he removed his coat and tossed it in another direction, he could probably confuse it long enough to lose it and make it back to the stream to lose his scent. The plan was set in his mind, and he was more than willing to prepare implementing it when the wolf took a step in his direction, one paw in the water and the rest raring to follow.

Yusei continued to move back slowly anyways, knowing that stopping would only decrease his chances of survival. Had it been a pack of wolves he would've been safer, but a lone wolf was always something to be wary of. They were often alone for a _reason_.

The reversed roles of the prince and wolf continued as the intended prey kept stepping back and the predator his advance forward. It was happily noted that the wolf had a limp, and it was clear in its eyes that walking hurt. But the wolf still put one foot in front of the either, daring Yusei almost to say something about his injured state. It seemed like the silence between them could go on forever, until Yusei's boot snapped a branch.

Then all hell broke loose.

Yusei wasn't entirely sure where he was going anymore, just that he had a follower, and that he couldn't get rid of him. He ran for ever fallen tree that he could, hoping to lose the wolf with an obstacle, but it was in vain. Even a sick wolf was still capable of much, and he was determined not to let his weakness prevent him from catching himself a Man. Yusei eventually managed to weave in and out of enough trees and throw his coat in another direction, his goal being the distraction of a brighter color instead of his darker tunic and mud splattered pants.

He sprinted as soon as he dropped the coat, and couldn't believe his ears when he heard the sounds of the wolf attacking it. _And not me_… He took off through the trees, weaving in and out of the boughs as much as he could to throw his scent everywhere. He could hear the wolf in the distance, but prayed that a wild scent and bad eyesight would hamper its progress. He ran through a nearby puddle in the hopes that the water would at least make tracking by the ground more difficult, as he lost the direction of the river. As soon as he was sure he couldn't hear the wolf anymore he swung himself up onto the branch of a tree and off the ground entirely. His mentors had warned him that treeing oneself when faced with a determined predator was not wise, but his legs felt like he had already run over every scrap of ground that the forest had to offer. He had to rest, or else a second chase would end in a very bloody death.

His clothes were once again as wet as they were the night before, and his arms and legs shook so badly it was an effort just to stay on the low branch he was on. His throat felt as if it was bleeding on the inside, and the coppery taste was making him gag. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the trunk of the tree, grateful to be alive and still breathing, however ragged it may have been. He strongly suspected that his wind may have been broken, but prayed that he wouldn't have to run any farther for the time being.

As he attempted to quiet his panting he quickly surveyed his surroundings to see if anything was familiar, and was surprised to see that he recognized the path a little ways off. If there was a path, it meant people walked there enough and would likely lead in the direction he was attempting to go. Once he had calmed down he would climb all the way to the top of the tree and see where he was—perhaps the chase had sent him the right direction after all. The sun was setting now, but daylight was still within his grasp. There was possibility that he might make it home for dinner after all—

He paused. Had that been a voice? Yusei listened so more, his heart picking up a rapid beat again with surging hope. Was someone calling?

"—sei!"

Say? What did that mean? "—sei!"

Wait—Yusei! They were calling "Yusei"!

He couldn't believe it! "Hello? Who's there?"

"—usei!"

"Hello? I'm over here—"

The wolf ripped his leg down from his perch and shook it with the fury carnivores normally reserved for snapping the necks of their prey.

Yusei screamed without care, his heart pounding so hard in his chest that it was all he could do not to clutch it. He kicked and shook his lower body as hard as he could in the hopes of dislodging the wolf's grip on his ankle. He could feel the teeth digging in to the soft skin around the bone and the dripping sensation of blood and saliva. He held fast to the bough of the tree, mind racing with ideas but each unable to be carried out. He had no arms to reach for a branch and pull himself up, or grab something strong enough to club at the wolf's head. He settled for kicking it as hard as he could, but in the wolf's state of insanity, it probably didn't affect it.

He never thought about when it might happen, but Yusei realized that at that moment he could die.

For the second time that day, he screamed for the man that saved him from sinking into the depths of the sea.

"JACK!"

.o.

**Aren't I _horrible_? XD I can see the hate mail now…**

**And it's midnight again. Maybe there's a connection: long nights, long stories…**


	7. Found

**Has anyone else noticed the size of the duel disks that they use in 5D's? Seriously—those things are about as large as a Roman shield! Not nearly as sturdy, I'd assume, but still just a big!**

**Anyways, here's to the long awaited ending to chapter 12. 24 pages! I'm so glad that I split the chapter into two, or this wouldn't have been digestible at all. This marks the end of the intro story arc, and we now move into the next phase of the story. Please enjoy!**

**Warnings: Minor fluffy crap. Lots of steam. (Sorry—the hardcore stuff comes _waaaaaaaayyyyyyy _later on.) If I could, I'd get to the really dirty stuff as fast as I can, but I think the whole story would fall apart if that happened. It's like Jack said—he has 100 days to make Yusei fall in love with him, and there are still many more left for him to attempt more…_amorous overtures_.**

**Yusei: I hate to think what that might entail.**

**Jack: You didn't feel that way last night.**

**Yusei: _ **

**We go from Day 95 to Day 94 here. Regality—if you include the first 6 chapters done by the wonderful Selene Nightshade, is 90 pages long with 12 chapters.**

Chapter 12—Part Two: Found

"JACK!"

The blonde king whipped Red Demon around at the horrible sound of Yusei wailing for help, his screams choked with agony of someone in a great amount of pain.

"Yusei? _Yusei!_" He was answered with another series of screams, each louder and more painful sounding than the last.

"Jack! Jack, _help!_"

He sounded so close, but Jack couldn't spot him anywhere amongst the surrounding trees. It was like he'd been replaced with a ghost—where was he?

Judai looked horrified. "Yusei doesn't scream, Jack."

"I'm coming, Yusei!" Jack cried in response, unsure of what else he could say. He could only pray that Yusei kept calling until he could find him.

Judai charged up besides him, his horse wildly tossing her head and stomping her feet. "He must be farther away! I can't find him anywhere around here!"

"Gather the group down that way," Jack ordered, pointing to the west, "They're the closest to us. Tell them Yusei's in the area!"

"Got it!" Judai said with hesitation, spurring Yubel into the direction he was told with as much haste as the two could manage. Jack spun Red Demon in circles as Yusei began to cry out again, hoping that he could pinpoint the location of the noise and head for it.

"_Jack, help me!_"

Where was he? It sounded as if his voice was coming from all sides of him! Sweat beaded at his forehead and stung his eyes with the ticking of the clock. Yusei didn't have time for him to be standing around, but he couldn't tell where he was! "Yusei! Yusei, where are you?"

"_Jack!_" A strangled cry followed the plea for help, and then a harsh yelp that sounded vaguely like someone falling.

"_Yusei!_"

Where the hell was he!?

.o.

Kicking the wolf in the damaged eye had a far different effect than what Yusei had planned for.

The wolf was supposed to let go, and then he'd propel himself up the tree and out of reach. Jack, wherever the bloody king was, would eventually come and solve Yusei's wolf dilemma. Then Yusei could come back down, they'd get him back to Neo Domino, and then he could get his dinner.

The carnivore's response to the kick was to rip Yusei down from the tree completely before letting go to bark wildly and shake its head at the pain. Standing up and getting away had been his only option, and he had nothing to mark the tree with to indicate that's where he had been.

_Jack…why can't you find me_…

Fueled with adrenaline, Yusei tore off through the trees as fast as he could go, sparks of pain flying up his leg to his knee with every pounding step he took. His chest was sore with the pounding of his heart and the sharp fall he had taken, having fallen flat on his front when he lost his grip on the tree bough. He couldn't be sure, but it felt like a rib may have cracked. Or he bruised his sternum. Either way, the pain had spread quickly across his torso. His vision blurred incessantly with constant sweat, stinging his eyes and throwing off his balance when he tried to see. He was a wreck of person, running unsteadily wherever his legs could take him.

"Yusei!"

That sounded close—way close. Yusei couldn't believe his ears. He mistakenly turned his head to look back, tripping over a jutting root and sending himself flying through the air only to crash to the ground and rip small plants from their homes. The dirt got in his eyes and scratched the surface of it with fiery abandon, eliciting inhuman hissing as he pathetically tried to rub it from his face.

Growling alerted him to the wolf once more, the predator quickly closing the distance between them. Yusei stumbled as he tried to stand, pitching a few infinitesimal rocks in the wolf's direction in fleeting hopes of harming it before taking off again, their panting evenly synchronized as they ran.

One man, running from death.

One wolf, running for life.

"Yusei!"

He forced himself not to look around for Jack anymore, fearing any further distraction would slow him down more than he could afford. The noise seemed like enough to throw the wolf for a loop though, and it slowed briefly to catch the second scent of human. Yusei hopped a fallen tree and began to weave through the trees once more, desperate to try anything at that point. He was losing speed, and his lungs burned as if he had swallowed the embers of a fire.

_Please, God, not like this…I don't want to die like this!_

"_Jack!_"

The silence of the forest thrummed in his heartstrings, tearing at them with the strength of a merciless god. Why wouldn't he answer? Where was he?

He saw flashes of the dark ocean before his eyes, the dark spurts of blood ejecting from his head and vanishing into the sea. There was no hand before him now, no hand reaching out to save him, no voice to offer solace in what would be his final moments of life. He had tried to trust—he did! Yusei couldn't believe it, but he felt sorry for not trying harder to follow the commands of the man who held him that morning, asking him to trust a little and to have a little faith.

_I'm so sorry…but I just can't keep doing this_—

"Yusei! Don't slow down now! Keep running!"

He couldn't begin to calculate the seconds it took for him to slam on the brakes and watch the wolf shoot past him blindly, or the time it took for him to turn in a different direction and take off once more, his entire leg on fire with the injury. He just couldn't. All he could do was watch out of his peripheral vision and see Jack keep racing after the wolf, brandished sword gleaming amber in the final rays of daylight as he hunted down the menace that was the sick wolf.

Jack glanced in his direction only briefly, but his words rang as sharp as his predator amethyst eyes. "_Yusei, run!_"

.o.

Somewhere else in the forest gathered a group of four men led by the Neospacian king, Judai Yuki. Their eyes scanned the trees for any sign of their king and the prince, but the area was desolate. No screams pierced the dusk and no orders echoed through the trees.

It was like both men had been snatched by a ghost.

.o.

The utter silence—save the rushing off the river—was the greatest blessing Yusei had ever received.

He sat limply on the edge, a few feet between him and the manic water crashing beneath him. Part of him wanted to simply fall forward into the water and never get up, and another part of him urged his mind to do something about his leg, which he kept neglecting to tend to. But he couldn't find the strength to move from that spot, or the concentration to break off the hypnotic spell of the water flowing past.

Right then, he just wanted to _rest_.

He could still hear the multiple voices calling his name, the only familiar tone belonging to the brunette king. Jack had yet to make a reappearance, but Yusei didn't want to rush him. He wanted that wolf _dead_. And judging by the look he had seen on Jack's face, so did he.

So he waited, giggling once to himself when the other continued to call his name and he didn't answer. He felt like a child again, hiding in the bowels of the castle while his parents and servants all frantically searched for him. Having all the people under his control like that had been sorely amusing to his adolescent mind, and he would've continued to play such games had his father not…tanned his hide. In all truth, he had deserved it, but looking back on it still brought a smile to his face, just like it was then, too.

Call him crazy, but it was probably due to a lack of water and too much adrenaline that he felt so hysterical. Jack would so mad if he found out…

"Yusei! Yusei, where are you?"

"King Jack! Your Highness!"

"Prince Yusei!"

"Jack!"

Their voices drifted off into his subconscious as he rubbed his eyes and yawned, wear finally having caught up with him. He wanted to lie down and sleep for a thousand years.

The sun had already begun to set, and the moon could be seen trying to get through the pink sky. He couldn't begin to hazard a guess as to what time it was, and his stomach was of little use to indicate anything. All he was truly aware of now was that hunger was tearing a hole in his gut, his eyes watered with lingering dirt, his hands stung with the various scrapes he had collected in his haste to flee, and his leg had ceased to hurt and was slowly falling numb.

_I wonder if this is what dying feels like_…

"Yusei! Come on! Where are you?"

As a light breeze swept over him, chilling the sweat accumulated on his skin. It was like being pelted with icicles, stinging and cold. Yusei wrapped his arms around himself, but his weak attempts made the cold that much worse. He tried to avoid thinking about his coat, the beautiful thing now torn to pieces somewhere in the middle of the forest where no one would ever find it. He longingly hoped that a bird or some small animal might make a better home with it, because it would serve him no further good. Getting up and finding Judai was the quickest way to grab himself a cloak, but that required finding his purchase to rise and the energy to walk.

_That man from before…he was warm_.

Delirious and frightfully aware of it, Yusei's head suddenly shot up to find the warm man from before, tired eyes straining to find his form somewhere in the darkness and his lips poised to call for him. Surely he was around here somewhere, watching from afar and keeping an eye on him. He had shielded him earlier and kept him warm while he slept—would it be so difficult for him to find Yusei again?

_He's not coming, Yusei. You know this_…

The wind gusted past again, the cold settling in his bones when he refused to move and keep himself warm. Yusei curled himself into the tightest ball he could manage, face buried in his arms and knees. It hurt…

_Jack's warm, too_…

The raven prince urged himself to raise his heavy head off his knees and look around a second time, this time for the blonde king. Would it be so odd as to look for his company? For his protection from the cold? Was Jack even still here, or had he vanished like the man he came to look for, lost in the depths of the forest and playing hunter in the dead of night? The thought made him feel that much colder…

Some part of him, a small and diminutive piece, really wished that Jack would just come find him already and take the two of them back home.

_Home_…

Suddenly he was on his feet, teetering on his injured ankle but otherwise stable. He started forward down the trail alongside the river, his mind blank and yet focused all at once. He didn't have to fight to pick up his feet, although the painful reminder of his injury had returned with every step he took. Jack had spent all day looking for him—now it was his turn to do the same. He limped along the path, ignoring the shouts for his name and instead listening for Jack's reply to his own summons.

_Where are you, Jack?_

The insane wolf leapt through the bushes and onto the path, its body a bloody and broken mess from where Jack had no doubt stabbed it. The king was right on its tail, utterly determined to catch the beast when he spotted Yusei up ahead staring blankly back at them. He shouted something to the prince but he didn't catch it, his eyes drawn towards the leaping wolf that knocked him over the edge and into the river.

.o.

"_Yusei!_"

He was plummeting through the depths of the oceans. All around him droned the water, bubbles hissing past his ears and leaving a discernable trail back up to the surface. When he glanced behind him, all he saw was black. When he looked up, a glimmer of sunlight shot through the volumes of water and illuminated his body.

"_Yusei!_"

He could feel himself sinking deeper and deeper into the water, but found it odd that the light did not begin to shrink in its glow the lower he sank. Instead, all that alerted him to his growing peril was the pressure of the water, the weight of it increasing with every inch that he fell. It wrapped around him like thick chains that slowly constricted his body. His arms grew heavier with the weight and could no longer propel him. His legs felt as if they were laden down with stones, dragging him down and into the abyss…

"_Yusei, hold on!_"

There was blood everywhere, this time not from his head but his body, seeping through his skin like the essence of tea leaves. It spiraled all around him, flowing with the force of the water as it sailed away with his body.

"_YUSEI!_"

A shadow fell across his face as a silhouette descended upon him. An outstretched hand, waiting for his returned grip.

"Who are you…"

The arm extended itself to him, buzzing with the beautiful warmth he remembered so well from before. It was right before him…right in his reach…

_Jack…Jack's warmth_…

"_Yusei!_"

The sun flickered again, warning him of his descent. His heart stopped pounding as he stared at the outstretched hand, astonished at the declaration that the voice just made.

_Yusei…that…that…that's me_…

"Jack…"

A firm hand wrenched him from the water. Yusei spluttered like a gasping fish trying to breathe. He had no sense of up or down, just cold, before he hit the dry ground so hard the wind was knocked out of him. He fought for his breath, ignoring the demands from above him to relax and let out some air first. The moment he relaxed his body was suddenly invaded by hands. It felt as if a million people were touching him at once, frantic and unforgiving as they felt everywhere on his body and turned and rolled him about like he was a rag doll instead of a flesh bag. He watched his hands fight the invading touch but they were promptly smacked away like they consisted of smoke, and both fell limp to either side of him without remorse for giving up.

He was tossed and turned several more times before someone settled him on his back and tore his tunic from his body. The damp clothing gave way to a warm shirt that was hastily pulled back around his shivering torso, this tunic far larger than what he usually wore and smelling strongly of another man. Muscular arms pulled at his body until he was sitting up, and then Jack further wrapped him in his embrace.

"God, Yusei…" He whispered, his voice tired. He pulled Yusei as close to his body as he dared without hurt him. "I'm sorry…_I'm so sorry_…"

The raven prince was at a loss of something appropriate to say, and favored leaning in to the warm embrace instead. Familiar fingers pulled through his wet locks, lingering on the gold highlights and aimlessly twisting them. Jack smelled of sweat and water, his skin moist and sticky like Yusei's. He couldn't imagine that he smelled any better, but the blonde happily buried his face in Yusei's hair, pulling the smaller man to rest his head under his chin. Yusei accepted the gesture, returning the favor by cautiously bringing his arms up around Jack's back. The blonde sighed as Yusei's now ungloved hands ghosted over his bare skin, heart fluttering as weakly as Yusei's for a moment with the sensation.

The two sat there like that, lost in a moment of utter relief and exhaustion. The calls of the men and Judai went unheeded, the moment that these two men found themselves in too precious to interrupt. Yusei wanted to giggle at the term "spellbound" but couldn't find the energy to do something so obnoxious. Their haggard breathing slowly settled into more acceptable measures and their heartbeats began to level out into a more manageable pace. Yusei allowed his cold fingers the one-time privilege of feeling Jack's back much more intently, the pads running over thin ridges that he presumed were old scars. Even though Jack's breath was quiet compared to the grumbling river, Yusei found it fascinating to listen to his reactions as he moved from scar to scar, some garnering no reaction while others elicited a hitch in his breathing and caused him to briefly tighten his hold on the prince. Whether touching them brought back memories, made him ticklish, or were merely sensitive areas eluded his frazzled mind, but he found himself mapping out the scars and storing Jack's reaction away for another time.

The blonde had his own trouble keeping his hands to himself, and ran his hands over any bare flesh he could locate on Yusei's body. His skin was so cold that Jack's touch burned and tingled, provoking him to shiver and tremble uncontrollably—or was it simply the wind and water that was lowering his body temperature?

At one point Jack removed Yusei's hands from his back and brought them to his lips, warming the frozen appendages with his breath and his own hands. He looked Yusei in the eye the entire time, their gazes as locked into place as their seated positions had become. At some point Jack abandoned his attempts to warm Yusei's hands and laid them both flat on his naked pectorals, a small shiver crawling up the larger man's spine as his skin adjusted to the cold touch. Keeping constant eye contact he slid them slowly up to his collarbone, and then his shoulders, before adjusting them to lock behind his neck and hold on. So lost in the regal amethyst eyes before him Yusei let him, so tired and so hungry and in so much pain that he didn't find himself caring at the moment. Somewhere in the dark recesses of his mind screamed a voice, warning him of what he was letting the man he so openly called a pervert do to him, but the strength and will to agree with it had been drained a long time ago, wasted on a wolf that meant to kill him. Now all he was capable of was trusting _this_ wolf to keep him safe.

"Yusei…" Jack murmured slowly, like speaking would break the spell. Yusei's eyes briefly flickered to the blonde's mouth before looking back into his eyes, their color so bold and fierce in the dying sunlight. Confident that Yusei would not move away Jack leaned in a little bit closer to him, his breath close enough for Yusei feel puffs across his neck. He closed his eyes to Jack and waited for any further movement, his mind straying back to the day they first met—Jack backing him up against a fountain, Yusei's hands splashing at the cold water when he lost his balance, the devious hands finding their way under his clothes and the blonde's hot breath steaming up his neck as he prepared to pounce.

Now, he realized, they were back in the same position again, with Yusei dripping wet and Jack's burning skin steaming up the air. The prince opened his eyes again but was curious to see Jack's head beneath his own. His curiosity was soon fulfilled as an incredibly warm, heavy tongue slid up his neck, from his thin collarbone to under his chin, setting the skin on ice when the dangerous heat withdrew. It was completely unconscious, but Yusei blushed anyway, and a wicked smile slowly spread across Jack's face when he caught the reaction. It was instinctive to look away, but a set of teeth on his shoulder and a growled "Don't" frightened him into obeying. A wolf was no creature to meddle with, be it insane or otherwise. Yusei just couldn't figure out what kind Jack was.

The king's hands roamed up and down his thighs, feeling the rises and falls with the precision of a cartographer, eager to find ever inch of land there was to see and not failing to do so, either. They curved under his knees and drew lines from there to his buttocks and back before taking better hold of Yusei's legs and inching him closer. Yusei's body was practically wrapped around the king's frame, but being caught in such a compromising position occurred to neither of them at the time. Jack stopped nibbling at Yusei's shoulder and turned his attention to the raven's face after a bit, his eyes burning like embers without the sun's help. Yusei's heart began to pick up a quicker pace, but under Jack's stare he was no more a lamb trapped by a wolf with no shepherd to intervene. Jack leaned in so close Yusei had to close his eyes, afraid to stare any further. He could hear Jack's smirk as the man's lips grazed his cheek, on hand carefully sliding up Yusei's back under his borrowed shirt while the other took a hold of a knee to keep him still. His mouth crept closer to Yusei's, teasing with his hot breath and close proximity. Yusei's furrowed his brow to keep his eyes shut tight when he knew Jack was about to kiss him, but the man's wandering hand brushed over a sensitive part of his leg that sent Yusei hissing in pain and Jack's face back a few inches.

"Damn it," Jack growled, more angry with himself than Yusei, the prince believed. Jack extricated their limbs from the tangle they formed and got to his knees. As soon as he was sure the pain had temporarily faded he scooped Yusei up into his arms bridal style, quickly rising to his feet and darting the few yards down the path to his horse.

Red Demon watched in interest as his owner approached him, and Yusei didn't miss the flaring of the creature's nostrils. When he left Neo Domino a few days prior, he had tried to befriend Red Demon before he departed (since the horse couldn't be blamed for its owner's disposition) and was surprised at how hostile the horse was to him. He hadn't dared to go near the animal again, but now he realized the situation had changed. Red Demon lowered his gaze from Yusei to stare at the ground, utterly submissive now. Jack didn't seem to take notice of it, but Yusei had seen similar things happen before. When the rider excreted enough pheromones that the horse might associate with the stallion of the herd, it mellowed out in submission to the one it considered superior. Yusei wouldn't have been surprised if Red Demon thought of him as a brood mare now, off limits to anyone outside of the king. It would be interesting gauging his reactions later on…

"I'll get you out of here, soon, Yusei. Just hang on for a little bit longer," Jack promised as he hoisted Yusei up onto the saddle and adjusted his legs so he was sitting astride. As soon as he got the prince to hang on to Red Demon's mane he began to fish out a cloak from a saddlebag, thrusting the garment up to him once it was free. "Pull this around you."

Yusei obeyed without question. The moment from before was gone, and Jack's head seemed to be back in the game. A wonderful occurrence, as Yusei's vision was beginning to go a little black. As Jack fished around in the saddlebags some more, Yusei contemplated checking for any food. He had been too distracted by imminent death to think about it, but now he realized he was starving.

Jack made a grunt of satisfaction as he pulled a small horn from the depths of a saddlebag, an item very reminiscent of the ones they used back in the Satellite in case people got lost. Not that Yusei or any other teenager bothered to carry one around, but some kept one on hand for luck. If you had one, you wouldn't get lost and would never need it—if you didn't, then losing your way was a very high risk. Jack faced the trees and gave two very ear splitting blasts with his horn, then waited. He was met with a similar response—two obnoxiously loud blasts—albeit far quieter with distance. Satisfied with his efforts, Jack began to put the horn away and shuffle things around in the saddlebag again.

Yusei drew the hood of the cloak up over his head as he watched the horizon, the sun almost gone and the sky a deep magenta color. He saw black clouds for a moment that drifted in from behind the tree line, and then realized it was his own vision going blurry blinked his eyes free of it. In the distance he spotted a small figure moving at a very languid pace with a discernable limp, but with the sun behind it all details were lost of what it was. Yusei opened his mouth to point it out, but Jack was too focused on swinging up onto the saddle behind him to notice the prince pointing vaguely to shape in front of them. His paler arms slipped in between Yusei's sides and his own arms to reach the reins, and he quickly turned them around in the opposite direction to gallop off into the forest.

He had never ridden like this before, and Yusei wasn't quite sure whether or not he found it fun. Having no control of the horse and being perched farther up on the seat of Red Demon's saddle was a little unnerving, to be honest, and he didn't enjoy the pommel digging in to his groin with the bouncy gait of the horse. He relented in his frustration after considering his own state of well being for a moment, and decided it best to just try and relax for the rest of the ride. His ankle burned, though, and it hurt trying to grip the sides of Red Demon in the effort to spare him the discomfort of having heels kicking his stomach. He attempted to close his eyes and take a few deep breaths, but the sensation reminded him too much of being lost in the river. He had briefly jerked in surprise when Red Demon cleared a small log when he eyes had been closed, and gripped one of Jack's arms to keep himself steady. After nearly giving the blonde a heart attack he let go and carefully leaned back into Jack's chest, the taller man adjusting his stance to accommodate him. It did little to alleviate his fear of falling off, however. Relaxing may have been a bit harder to achieve than he first thought.

"Yusei!"

The prince nearly cracked Jack's jaw with his head as he shot up straight to locate Judai in the darkness. His vision kept darkening on him and eliminating some of what he saw, but constant vigilance rewarded him with seeing Judai again, tired but happy.

There were other men gathered around Judai with matching sets of uniforms and body hugging armor, each silent but with relieved looks on their faces when Jack pulled up and to a halt. Yusei recognized none of them.

"Your Highness, Lenore's squad found fresh horse tracks a few hours back. He and his men went to go search for it," said a brawny man off to Judai's left. Jack's nod could be felt through Yusei's back.

"Very good. The prince didn't have anything on him, so the map must be with horse."

The same man spoke again. "How would you like us to proceed from here, sir?"

"You and I will go meet up with Lenore and his men. The rest of you," he ordered, "will return with King Judai and Prince Yusei to the palace."

Jack continued to speak, but Yusei ignored him in favor of greeting Judai, who pulled up besides Jack's horse. The shorter king eagerly leaned over and wrapped his arms around Yusei, his grip coming close to being painful. "Oh my God…" Judai whispered, his hold tightening, "I thought we were going to lose you."

Yusei's arms were trapped by both Jack and Judai's arms, so he settled for leaning in to the hug instead. "I'm okay, now, Judai. I promise." He sighed, deliriously happy to be within the bounds of his friend's scent again. Judai smelled different from Jack—who tended to carry the musky scent of roses—and smelled more of gingerbread and candies. _He smells like kid_, Yusei thought_. A happy kid, if they can have a particular smell_… _Jack just smells like some gross adult trying to be romantic_…_stupid rose scent_…

He hadn't been aware of his insane giggling, and couldn't understand why everyone was staring at him bizarrely. Judai had leaned away again and carried a very troubled look.

Yusei stared in return. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said quickly, "I just think that it's time we get you back to the palace."

The prince tilted his head up to look at Jack, who clearly hadn't been expecting it and jumped a little. "Why's everyone so quiet?"

The question threw Jack for a loop, and he didn't reply to his question. Yusei frowned at him. "It's rude not to answer people's questions, Jack."

"And I think princes shouldn't stay up this late at night," Jack retorted. He swung himself down from the saddle and then reached for Yusei's waist. "Come on; you're going to ride back with Judai."

"Why are you half naked, Jack?"

The king paused in his attempt to grab Yusei to stare incredulously at him while Judai snickered a bit to himself. He told Judai to shut up and reached for Yusei, dragging him down off the horse and onto the ground again. He leaned in real close to whisper. "I think you need to stop talking now, Prince Yusei."

Yusei giggled. "Silly, I'm not a prince—I'm a queen," a fact he demonstrated by trying to curtsey for Jack and nearly falling down. Jack wasted no time picking him up and tossing him on to Judai's horse, seating him on the back this time and using Judai's offer of belting the two of them together.

Jack gave Yusei another quick stare before moving on to Judai, "He was attacked a by very sick wolf before I got to him. His ankle is in need of attention. Have the doctors keep a close eye on him, too—I think dehydration may be the problem here, but we can't be sure that the wolf didn't have any extra diseases."

"Did you kill it?"

"I came close. It fell into the river with Yusei before I could, though—and I haven't seen it since."

Judai nodded firmly. "I'll let them know." He turned to the other men waiting. "Let's go."

Yusei grabbed Jack's shoulder as he passed, catching his attention. "If you want to know what the wolf's sickness is, she's standing right behind us."

Yusei's world then spun as he took a dive off the side of Yubel, Judai equally affected by the belt connecting them. He couldn't remember hitting the ground, but he did hear the shouts of the other men as they tried to get the wolf before it got them.

.o.

This time he was sure that he was dreaming. He could feel the sweat running down his face and the thick heat of being tangled up in too many bed sheets. The weight of the duvet was crushing in his unconscious state, and the temperature of the room almost unbearable. Someone was trying to speak to him as he thrashed about, but their words were mired in the intensity of what he was seeing before him.

Men in armor were shouting all around him, running for a shadowed figured hidden by the dusk and trees. He was stuck to the ground, half of his face buried in soil and dead leaves. The smell of the moist earth and decomposing plants was almost overwhelming, and he could feel himself growing nauseated with the stench. Behind him groaned a familiar voice, their body pressed closely up against his and equally stuck to the ground. It wasn't until someone kneeled besides them and starting fumbling with a belt around his waist that he realized he was lashed together with the person behind him, and quickly helped to free himself. The person who helped set him free tried to grab for his shoulders as he sat up, but a quick thrust of an elbow made the man let go.

He could see her in trees, racing with all her might straight for him. He ran for her as well, the two of them like star-crossed lovers in a novel desperately trying to bridge the gap between them and reunite their love. Horses and unfamiliar men blocked his path, but he ducked and dodged them easily, his desire to greet her overpowering his mind and helping him to focus on evading capture. The people tried to catch him, and he could feel every tingle as their fingers grasped at his shirt and skin for a tight hold and losing him every time. It was…exhilarating.

As she finally descended upon him and into his arms he took the top of her snout and steered her around in circles, her course always being altered and never sending her in the direction of his heart. She growled at the way he taunted her, sneering that she'd have to try harder for his affection. Silence fell over the forest and the cries of the strangers stopped as he danced with the she-wolf in their tribal ritual, their bodies glowing with their single-colored auras. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever witnessed, like a scene conjured up by a child's unrestricted imagination.

The tango carried on far into the night, the moon overhead casting light upon the duet of Man and Wolf. As the glowing orb in the sky reached the peak of its climb the dance concluded with the climax—a midnight sacrifice—and he spilled the she-wolf's blood upon the earth from which she originated. The skin of his hands were torn and cut as he savagely pried her jaws apart until they broke and he could rip the lower half from her head. As she fell to the ground, choking on her life force, she tried to howl her last notes as a proud she-wolf. The ghost of a silver horse appeared for the final rites of passage, weaving his magic over the two as they laid there on the Mother Nature's skin, whispering final goodbyes to each other. He looked into her eyes, one so hideously deformed it was hardly an eye and the other so beautiful and perfect it could have hardly belonged to any mortal creature. It shone a beautiful amethyst hue, like lilacs dusted with snow on the fringes of winter. She stared back into his own eyes, anger slowly fading into acceptance as she conceded the victory of the battle to him. He gave her a gentle smile in praise for her determination and unwillingness to give in, and stroked what remained of her face carefully.

"Now move on to a better life," he whispered, "Become the beautiful creature you were meant to be and live your life to the fullest."

She nodded minimally, her eyes beginning to roll back into her head in the slow throes of death. He kissed the space between her eyes in farewell, murmuring, "I love you," before his world faded into black.

.o.

Yusei couldn't fathom why his eyes felt so sore when he opened them up to see an off white ceiling, or why tears were spilling down his cheeks like he had been sobbing. Without reason he grasped at the remaining fragments of his dream, the horror of it too realistic to let it go like one might for any other dream. Bits and pieces still clung to his memory, but the rest was vanishing like smoke into thin air, forever out reach and out of mind. He fought hard to retain what was left in his head and make some sense of it, but fragments he was left holding were so random that they didn't fit into anything cohesive.

The prince sighed and gave up, body taking precedence over nightmares. _Or could it be dream?_ He ached all over, from his neck to his ankles, stiff and throbbing after what were likely hours of idleness. It felt as though someone had been seriously clubbing him, although he could tell nothing serious was broken. His sternum was still sore from falling out of the tree and it hurt to breathe, but it wasn't broken and neither were his ribs. His neck was curiously stiff and sparks of pain went shooting up his spine whenever he tilted his head, but he was at a loss regarding how it happened. His ankle was what hurt the most, but pain resonating from limbs was easier to deal with than injuries dealt to the torso or head. Yusei resigned to the fact that he'd have to move to get the pain to go away, but decided it would be best to figure out where he was first before he got up.

A discreet—and painful—tilt of his head to the right revealed the short row of windows that he recognized from Jack's room. The shutters were all open and exposing the bitter night that lay outside. The moon was not yet high in the sky, but in an hour Yusei imagined it would be. He found it hard to believe that the dream he just had hadn't carried him through the night and to dawn, but decided that it was better be grateful it was over. After another quick glance out the window he gazed at the rest of the room, eyes falling upon the failing embers left in the fireplace on the other side. Even in the fading light he could make out the mysterious forms of knick knacks on the mantle piece, as well as the more discernable shape of books stacked on the floor and on bookshelves. There was another door at the end of one of the bookshelves, but it remained closed to his wandering eyes. He hadn't really seen much in Jack's room before, and curiosity was slowing getting the better of him. Yusei wanted to climb out of bed and just take a quick walk around, pain be damned, but a small snore alerted him to the second person in the room with him.

Jack was propped up by a pillow against the headboard, his eyes closed and mouth slightly open as he quietly snored. He had somehow managed to keep his head up semi-up right, and thus kept his reading glasses off his face, but his hands had let go of the book he was reading in favor of folding across his chest. The overall pose made him look like he was angry with someone and about to lecture them, but Yusei couldn't help but find it funny. Still, it spoke volumes about Jack if he was willing to fall asleep next to him and risk Yusei seeing him make a strange face. Despite having seen Jack when he was raging mad, this grumpy look made the obnoxious, regal king seem…normal.

Yusei slowly inched himself back so that he could lean against the head board, too, his head swimming with too many vivid memories of the day to get himself any decent rest. The pressure on his hands grew too be too much for one movement, though, and he whipped his hands out from under him in pain. To his horror, both hands and most of his fingers were bandaged, some bruising on his wrists left uncovered but quite dark. He curled his digits hesitantly to test for another painful reaction, but found than the most that hurt was his left hand's pinky and ring finger, which had been expertly taped together.

_I'm surprised I didn't break more, but what could've damaged my hands so badly_? _That dream…it wasn't real, was it?_

He was almost too scared to check for what other injuries he had inflicted upon himself, and decided it best not to look tonight. He knew he'd be up most of the night already thinking about the past day, and didn't need the shock of too many injuries to further impede him. He made sure to scoot back using his good hand this time, and adjusted his pillow to support his aching back. In the hopes calming his mind he watched the blonde king doze, chest gently rising and falling with sound sleep. He and Yusei were dressed in similar shirts, although Yusei found his to be a size too large for him, and Jack had left his collar wide open. The material was comfortable, though, and didn't pull across his wounds in a way that would irritate them. The raven surmised that he was wearing one of Jack's shirts, judging by how unlike Yusei it smelled, although his fresh pants seemed to be his own. It was a considerate thing to provide, and he made a mental note to thank Jack as soon as he awoke—his own clothing was comfortable, yes, but built more to be durable than pleasant to touch. Had he been back home, the easier thing to have done would have been to sleep naked.

_Best not mention that to Jack_…

It felt so strange sitting next to the king without feeling worried. Every time he entered Jack's presence he was overcome with a fit of shaking and knot in his stomach so tight he thought he might faint. Whether or not Jack noticed was an entirely different story, but the intensity of the week had left him unable to swallow food without it tasting bland, or walk the hallways without fear of running into the king and not knowing what to say to him…again. He hated every moment of it, and the situation had been that much more unbearable knowing that he had caused some of the strife between them as well. The guilt was literally killing him, and hearing Jack's voice in the forest, calling _his_ name, had felt like a slap across the face.

But Jack had done what Yusei could not, and now it was his turn to put the past aside and face the truth. The truth that while Jack was an insufferable and selfish and really needed someone to kick him in the pants—he saved Yusei's life. He didn't have to, and could've argued to his parents that Yusei had run away from the agreement and broken off the alliance with the Satellite. It wouldn't have been far from the truth, either. Yusei's motives for staying out so long weren't pure, and the price of running away had almost cost him his life. And now he was faced with a second chance to make things right—and he'd be damned if he didn't take it.

_I won't marry you, King of Neo Domino, Jack Atlas. But I won't run from my obligations, anymore, either_.

The candlelight was growing weak on Jack's side of the bed, so Yusei adjusted himself to light the fresh candle on his side. It took a few minutes to finally light the wick with his damaged fingers, but his efforts were rewarded with a burning candle that was sure to last several hours. When he turned back around, Jack's head had finally fallen to rest on his chest. His glasses frantically tried to hang on to his nose, but in the end slipped off and fell to his folded arms. In the stronger light, Yusei noticed that Jack's hair was still slightly damp, like he'd had a bath, as the spikes normally adorning his head were limp. The young look his spikes had given him temporarily faded, and he looked more mature with his blonde hair falling in his face and around his neck. Not like an adult (he was far from becoming _that_) but definitely more mature. His usual scent of roses fit his appearance far better now than it did before, too—before it made him look devious. Now it just made him a gentle giant.

Yusei was grateful that Jack couldn't hear his thoughts—he'd surely be executed for thinking that.

It was then that the prince remembered Jack had been reading, and his gaze lowered to the green book resting open across his stomach. He strained his neck trying to read the title, but a combination of bad light and faded lettering made it difficult to discern. He carefully picked up the book and brought one knee up to his chest to rest the small treasure on, finger in place of where Jack had been reading. The book was small and nothing remarkable, but it was clear from the looks of it that it was frequently read. Whatever letters had once adorned it were gold, telltale marks revealing that at one point the book did have a nice cover. The title remained unclear, though, so he opted for flipping through some of the pages to find clues.

Nothing jumped out at him that might suggest a theme, and he noticed that it wasn't so much a story but a long poem that went on for several pages at a time. Some pages talked of love while others of suffering, a few of war and one or two on contentment. Jack had been reading none of those, however. Instead, he had been reading a small story about a circus with performers that were utterly useless and not at all skilled at their trade. Yusei eagerly scanned the first few phrases, the simplicity of it responsible for making it truly witty. Vulgarity was not danced around and most of the words were lewd, but the raven haired prince found himself giggling slightly as he tried to picture the scenes in his head. That is, until he laughed a little harder than he should and his chest squeezed painfully.

It had him doubled over in silent groaning, book falling back to the bed, forgotten. He clenched his teeth and stared at his knees, wondering whether or not to regret reading something comedic when his body hurt so much. He decided that it wasn't when a familiar hand laid itself on his back and gently rubbed in circles, the owner patiently waiting for him to sit back up. When he could finally sit up, he met Jack's sad smile.

"You going to be all right?"

Yusei nodded. "I'm fine. I've had far worse injuries than this."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Jack said with a shake of his head. "When did you wake up?"

"I can't remember. I haven't been up long enough to brave getting out of bed, if that's what you're asking."

The king nodded but said nothing more, opting instead to take Yusei's left hand and inspect the bandages. Yusei let him without saying a word, absentmindedly observing Jack's expressions as the blonde checked the wrappings in silence. After a minute of scrutiny, Jack let go and got out of bed. "It needs to be rewrapped."

Yusei tried to glance at his hand without it looking too obvious, but Jack seemed to be aware that Yusei thought he was lying. Still, the prince decided for the time being it was best to let it go and let Jack do as he pleased. He had his suspicions that Jack was trying to find a casual way to bring up something important without causing any further awkwardness between them. His stomach felt a little queasy at the thought, but he appreciated the sentiment.

_This is what I should have been trying to do all along_…

"You're probably going to hate me for this, but it's the only way to get this off without removing the rest of the bandages," Jack said, voice a little choked like he was having trouble speaking. Yusei turned his body so that he was facing Jack, legs dangling over his side of the bed. Jack grimaced when the prince offered him his hand, but he set out to undo the wrappings with as steady a hand he could manage. And he was right—Yusei did hate him for a second.

His fingers had been broken, and undoing the firm bandages holding them together _hurt_. Yusei couldn't fathom why kicks to the head or broken ribs didn't ever seem to stop him, but one hurt finger sent him over the edge. Jack eventually had to stop and take a firm hold of his wrist before he could continue, the urge to retract his hand greater than his mind could control.

"God," Yusei hissed once Jack released his wrist, "What on earth did I do to my hand?"

Jack looked stunned. "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

The king sighed as he retrieved a fresh roll of bandages from a small table at the foot of the bed, unrolling them as he talked. "This is what the doctors thought might happen." When Yusei shot him a confused look, he explained. "Judging by everything that has happened to you today, they believed that you might have repressed some of your memories to keep yourself sane."

Keep himself sane? Jack continued to talk, but Yusei couldn't keep his focus enough to finish listening. What on earth had happened to him out there? He remembered waking up on the ground and the sun being high in the sky, and he remembered walking to the river and being chased by the wolf. He had climbed a tree to evade the wolf but was caught anyways, and he remembered seeing Jack come charging after the wolf so that he could kill it…

And…a man. He remembered there being a strange man.

But really? Being chased by a wolf had certainly given him enough excitement to last him about a month, but for it to repress memories? That was insane. Unless…

…something else had happened.

"Yusei, _Yusei_."

The prince's broken but wrapped hand was resting on his lap once more, and Jack was staring straight at him, worry written all over his face. "Yusei?"

"What happened to me, Jack?" Yusei suddenly demanded. "What else went on yesterday that I can't remember?" The blonde sighed again and looked down like he was at a loss for words, but he would have none of it. He shook Jack's shoulder hard. "Answer me, Jack."

Jack nodded grimly and crawled back up onto the bed, one foot still dangling over the side. Yusei braced himself for bad news and mirrored the king's pose, albeit with more pain involved. Jack kept a reasonable distance between them, but touched Yusei's bare foot with his own by briefly, muttering an apology under his breath. The prince was at a loss for the respect the king was giving him, however, and let their feet continue to touch. It seemed at this point a method of comfort for Jack without full body contact.

"What's the last thing you remember, Yusei?" Asked the king after a dreadful amount of silence.

"I remember running. The wolf was right behind me, and I wasn't sure that I could get away," Yusei admitted. The look on Jack's face grew worse. "Then you called out to me and said to keep running. So I did. I turned in a different direction, the wolf overshot me, and then you came by on Red Demon, telling me to keep on running."

Jack, who had been nodding in confirmation of his words, stopped. "So you don't remember anything else? Nothing bizarre? Nothing scary?"

"Well, obviously the wolf chasing me was scary, but I knew you were going to kill it, so…" _Oh_, Yusei did not like the look on Jack's face one bit. "The wolf is dead, right?"

Jack visibly swallowed. "It is."

_He looked into her eyes, one so hideously deformed it was hardly an eye and the other so beautiful and perfect it could have hardly belonged to any mortal creature. It shone a beautiful amethyst hue, like lilacs dusted with snow on the fringes of winter_…

_Jack's eyes_…

The prince uncurled his fingers from their painful fists and raised them up to look at them. They stung like he'd cut them too many times on glass, or on a knife—something… "I killed it, didn't I?"

"Yes. You did," Jack affirmed. "You killed it with your bare hands, like all of those heroes you hear about in children's stories." He gave an empty laugh. "Of course, you've just shown us how terrible the procedure is. I never imagined it being so bloody, though. But you must've known that it would take a lot of blood and tears to kill it, because you pushed us all away and told us to keep back."

_Horses and unfamiliar men blocked his path, but he ducked and dodged them easily, his desire to greet her overpowering his mind and helping him to focus on evading capture. The people tried to catch him, and he could feel every tingle as their fingers grasped at his shirt and skin for a tight hold and losing him every time. It was…exhilarating…_

"You were so adamant about taking this wolf down on your own that you even did this," Jack said as he carefully lifted his shirt up. His right side was black and blue with bruises, each about the side of Yusei's fists. A chill ran down the prince's spine at the sight of the brutality—brutality committed by him, no less. His knuckles tingled as he stared at Jack's ribs, the feeling of his fist digging into the king's side echoing off his arm.

"I'm sorry…" Came his haunted whisper. But his apology didn't feel remotely adequate. The fact that he had enough power contained within him to incur that much damage was frightening. He smiled listlessly. "I guess being on an adrenaline rush does that to you. Who would've guessed? I'm sorry if I did anything else weird."

"It's all right, Yusei. If you hadn't been hyped up on adrenaline, I would've been extremely worried." Jack's face said that all was forgiven, but there was a thrum of pain in his voice Yusei hadn't missed. He could only figure that the experience had been upsetting for him, too.

"Did…anything else happen?"

"You fell into the river and I got to fish you out."

"Sounds fun."

Jack gave him another regretful smile. "Not nearly as much as you would think. I was just grateful you didn't stink like one, too."

The two burst out laughing, Yusei leaning so far forward his face was pressed into the bed sheets as he clutched his aching sides, body trembling with laughter. Jack fell backwards with hysteria, and the two lay there in their amusement, so tired and worn from the day that the effort left them gasping for air and unable to move for a moment. As the ecstasy wore off and reality crawled back into place, Yusei found he was finally tired and ready to sleep. He still winced as he forced himself to sit up, but for the first time in long time, smiling came naturally.

It had hurt. But it was worth it.

Jack eventually sat up with a groan and ruffled the hair on Yusei's head before sliding off the bed and ambling over to the fire. He stoked the flames, tossed another log on the hearth, and then watched for a moment. Satisfied that the fire would catch, Jack made his way back to the bed, Yusei already tucked under the duvet again. The candle on the king's side of the bed was already out, but Yusei's still had a good hour left in it. He asked to leave it burning and Jack nodded yes, scooting himself back onto the tall bed and drawing the covers over himself and then a little further over the prince's shoulders. Once he was happy he finally lay down on his side, facing the raven.

"You're like a mother hen, Jack."

Jack's brow furrowed in disagreement. "Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"What are you, five?"

"At heart."

Jack smirked. "You should be grateful that's not literal. You'd be the weakest man alive if you still had the heart of a five-year-old."

Yusei laughed again, managing to disguise his wince of pain this time. "Perhaps. But I'd take that over having the _mind_ of a five-year-old."

"True. If you did, they'd throw you in an insane asylum."

"That's a weird name," Yusei said as he rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling again. "Because it's not an asylum. It's hell on earth."

"I thought that was doctor's?"

"I'd rather spend time there than at an insane asylum." The prince frowned at the ceiling for its lack of characteristic cracks. He felt the urge to throw paint onto the ceiling, just to give him something to look at. _Jack would skin me alive if I did that_. "If I ever get the opportunity, I think I'll change the name. Come up with something better than "asylum"."

"You mean when you become ruler?"

"Yeah," Yusei confirmed, momentarily forgetting the sensitive territory he was letting Jack draw him into. When he caught Jack making a face out of his peripheral vision, he realized his blunder, and brought up a new subject before Jack could start discussing _them_. "Speaking of which, where is everyone?"

Jack leaned over and began to absently toy with Yusei's hair, twisting the strands he caught between his fingers. For some reason, the motion felt familiar. "I sent them to bed. They wanted to wait all night for you to wake up, but I figured that if you didn't wake up now you'd be awake by morning." He shrugged to himself. "I saw no need in worrying. I was going to be with you the whole time if you needed help or started bleeding profusely, so they said they'd see you at breakfast."

That couldn't have been an easy conversation. He understood that as long as his parents and Judai were visiting, they took orders from their host king, but that still didn't make them any more compliant. His mother was ten times the mother hen that Jack was—she made him look apathetic in comparison. Had Yusei contracted so much as a cold she'd send him to bed and fuss over him all throughout the night. He didn't even want to begin thinking of the hell she raised when Jack ordered them to leave. If Jack hadn't been a king, Yusei was confident she would have wailed on him for even suggesting that she leave her child. And no, he didn't mean _scream_.

"How'd that go over?"

Jack exhaled loudly and sent a lock of hair floating up into the air for a moment. "Not well. Your mother went into histrionics about it, and it took your father almost ten minutes to calm her down and get her out of the room." Yusei smiled fondly to himself at the thought of Jack handling his distraught mother, but the king caught the look. "I take it that that's a familiar behavior."

"Like you wouldn't believe. I once sneezed and she locked me in my room like those fairytale princesses you hear about. My dad came and got me after an hour and I managed to convince my mother it was merely allergies, but good Lord…" Yusei propped himself up so he could look at Jack better. "Whatever you do," he warned, "do _not_ tell her about an injury. You will regret it for the rest of your life."

Jack chuckled at the prince's misfortune, but it wasn't dark like Yusei's expected. "And just how will you handle tomorrow?"

"I won't. I think I might just stay here until I'm better."

"Uh-huh. And will his Highness require company to soothe his nerves as he hides from his own mother?"

Yusei shoved Jack's shoulder playfully. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"A chance to sleep in all day? After this week, I'd sleep for a year if you asked me."

"Lazy. Anyways, how's Judai? I hadn't thought of what happened to him since last night when I thought he'd been crushed by a tree. Obviously he hadn't been, or you would've mentioned it sooner."

The brunette king's name cast a shadow over Jack's eyes, and he retracted his arm from the middle of the bed. Yusei felt a ball drop in his stomach watching Jack, but there was no going back now. The other king's presence had been the dividing line between them ever since Yusei arrived, and he realized that he was actually getting sick of it.

Jack rolled onto his back, held angled away from Yusei. "He's fine."

It was suddenly there in the back of his head. The rage. The ever consuming need to start screaming ."Just fine? The storm didn't hurt him? Or the wolf?"

"No. He wasn't hurt." The king rolled onto his other side completely. "It's late. Perhaps you should try to—"

"_No!_"

Jack was completely taken aback when he found Yusei leaning over him after rolling him onto his back, nostrils flaring and eyes black like Death. Although he did not straddle him, his bandaged hands lay on either side of Jack's head, trapping him against the mattress. Yusei's mind felt like it had been replaced with that of an animal, wild and angry from being irritated far too often. He didn't pause to think of what words came from his mouth—they just did. And while he would feel embarrassed about them afterwards, he wouldn't come to regret them later on, either.

"I am tired of running, Jack! I am tired not being able to sleep! And I want it to stop _right now_. Ever since Judai arrived, you have been nothing but critical and mean towards me and my friend! Now I know that some of this is my fault, but it is just as much your fault, too! And if you want to have _any_ chance of winning me over in this stupid game of yours, you will tell me right now _why you attacked Judai!_"

The urge to begin coughing arose in his throat, but Yusei held back his body's demand for deep breaths of oxygen. He couldn't breathe until he heard what he needed to hear.

He wasn't even sure what that was.

Jack didn't scream. He didn't yell. He didn't shout or push or throw Yusei off of him and threaten to beat him for speaking in such a way. He just stared, eyes glazed in distraction of a memory. Yusei realized, Jack was remembering the night he did this to him.

And then he said, "I can't think of any answer that wouldn't sound petty to you. Yusei, I'm sorry."

The prince felt like a crumbling wall, utterly incapable of holding himself up any longer on his aching, trembling arms. He dropped his head and let his hair fall over his face to hide the growing redness on his skin. "Apologize to Judai," he grumbled weakly, "not to me."

The body beneath him shifted its position and sat up. Yusei looked up meekly at the blonde man before him, eyes still clouded in anger but temper slowly retreating. Jack looked like he wanted to cry, but the man held it in. "I did, Yusei. I did. And do you know what he said to me?"

Yusei shook his head. Jack came close and faster than he could back up, but to his relief only laid his forehead against his. He bit his tongue to keep his tears in and stumbled over arithmetic equations in his head, but his pathetic efforts were all in vain when Jack cupped a cheek with a warm hand and whispered, "He said to apologize to you."

_It…it's over…I can't believe it, it's over!_

And for the first time in years, Yusei sobbed.

.o.

His eyes were open, of that he was sure, but he couldn't fathom why he saw nothing purple.

_Oh, wait_…

Yusei found the piece of material blocking his view and pulled it off his face, revealing the rising sun of morning through the window. The curtains were not in place to shield his eyes from the full force of light, and so he was forced to squint until he scooted himself farther up on the bed and out of the direct ray. Behind him he could hear Jack groan and felt the semi-conscious man adjust himself as well, hiding his face in Yusei's hair to escape the light and readjusting his arms to rest around the prince's waist. Then he fell back into a deep slumber, snores echoing off the walls of the chamber.

He hadn't noticed it as much before when he slept with Judai—since the two of them kept their sides of the bed—but Neo Domino was _warm_. The Satellite of course had its warm days, too, but residing in the shadowy forest had definitely made the heat more tolerable. Now that Yusei was sleeping in a place that rested under the full force of the sun, he realized how hot it could get, even at night. He was someone who liked a lot of heavy blankets, and Jack was someone who liked to latch on to people and not let go. _I'll need to discuss that with him_… Combine the two factors, and it made for a very sweaty evening. At one point he recalled removing his shirt and throwing it on the floor, but then discovered that Jack had as well and was suddenly feeling very _clingy_. The somewhat red-in-the-face prince managed to hastily pull the covers up under his arms and over his chest before Jack had rolled over and grabbed him, but he still wasn't happy. It had taken forever to fall asleep after that, and he had spent another half hour of the night consoling Jack, who had shot out of bed with a nightmare that he refused to tell Yusei about. All in all, he felt exhausted.

The sky outside the windows was a light blue color, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. As the day drew on, Yusei imagined that the sky would solidify into a deep azure color and blur the line between the heavens and sea. It was a pleasant thought, and he could already feel himself smiling at the idea. Staying in bed all day was beginning to sound tiresome. He decided that he would spend as much time as he could in the gardens today and see as much of the sun as he could tolerate. He loved looking at the sun through the branches of the trees, but today he needed to see it completely and without obstructions.

_Yes…that sounds like a wonderful idea_…

A soft knock came at the door and made Yusei jump. His sudden movement was enough to stir Jack and the blonde sat up quickly, purple duvet pooling around his waist. He looked about as irritated as had been when Yusei held a sword to his face a few days ago, but managed to disguise his annoyance. "Who is it?"

"It's Mikage, milord."

"Enter."

_Wait, what?_ Yusei garnered a strange look from Jack when he hastily pulled the covers up over his bare shoulders, but a quick glare kept him from commenting on it. Mikage walked in smoothly, her clothes all neat and orderly in manner that suited Neo Domino's wealthy status. Yusei wondered if he should say anything in greetings, but for Jack's sake decided to keep his mouth shut. Surely it wasn't proper for people outside of spouses and personal attendants to see the king so underdressed?

"How are you feeling today, milord?"

Jack nodded his head. "Much better than before, thank you."

"Lord Godwin thought that you might wish to take advantage of the weather and eat outside in the garden today. He told me to inform you of where everyone will be."

"I very much appreciate it, Mikage. Please tell him that both I and Prince Yusei will be attending."

"Very good, Your Highness." Mikage bowed and strode out of the room, closing the doors behind her.

The moment the latch clicked in to place Jack yanked the sheets off of Yusei, a questioning look on his face. "Are you shy around women?"

"No," Yusei grit as calmly as he could. "I just don't find it proper to be in such a state of undress around people I am not familiar with."

The look on Jack's face suggested that he was looking forward to tormenting Yusei for a _very_ long time. "I suggest you get used to the servants seeing you, as you put it, "in such a state of undress". Most of them have seen me in _far less_ than you have."

"That's improper for a monarch! Have you any class at all?"

"My home, Yusei," Jack grinned. "My rules."

Yusei rolled onto his front and dangled an arm over the side of the bed to fish for his lost shirt. As if it being his home had anything to do about indecency. Other people lived in the castle, too! "I don't care what you rules are," he grumbled, "I'm not strutting around naked just because your servants are used to it—"

A much longer arm reached down to swipe the shirt off the floor before Yusei could grab it. Jack's mouth was next to his ear, breath hot and sending shivers down the prince's spine. Yusei tried to move away, but Jack's entire body was lying across his. "Careful, Yusei. I'm known to be creative when it comes to punishments. I'd advise you not to give me any ideas."

"Get off me." Yusei glared at Jack as soon as he moved away, but the king retained his cheeky grin.

"Get dressed. I'm starving."

Jack hopped off the bed and disappeared through the door Yusei had been looking at the other night. He inched himself over to the foot of the bed to minimize the walking distance to his things, but was relieved to see that another set of clothes had been laid out at the foot of the bed on a blanket chest. He slipped them on as fast as he could in case Jack should come back out and get a glimpse at more than he needed to see—_again_—but stopped short of putting on his boots. He had another pair with him that were much older and softer with wear; putting on stiffer shoes would only serve to cause him more harm than he cared for. Unfortunately, the pair he wanted were on the other side of the room.

Great.

Getting it over with was the only way Yusei knew how to handle things, and so he slipped from the bed and to the floor with as much ease as he could. He put his good leg down first and then the other, teeth clenched in anticipation. He stood up and put his full weight on both feet, hands gripping the bed post should his leg collapse. With both feet on the ground, the pain was almost unnoticeable. Then he took a step.

That was a mistake.

Much like he had caught Jack when the man almost did a face plant on the ground, Jack's hands caught Yusei from under his arms, dragging him back up onto both feet. Yusei found himself looking at the remorseful Jack he'd met the night before, with a smile on his lips but sadness in his eyes. Jack wordlessly helped him to the chair besides his things and found the pair of boots he wanted before stepping back to let Yusei pull them on. Once he was set to go, Jack silently offered a hand out to the prince.

Yusei took it.

They walked the halls at a snail's pace, with Yusei's arm around Jack's shoulders and the king's arm wrapped around his waist. It didn't make Yusei feel unclean like it had once before when Jack first met him and ever so daringly wrapped himself around the prince whenever the mood struck. It made him feel…cared for. When they reached the long set of stairs that would take them to the first floor of the palace, Yusei groaned. Walking in a straight line was painful enough. He didn't even want to think of the stairs. He tried his hardest to keep from turning red, but he was aware that Jack would have to carry him. Turning towards him to ask for assistance, Yusei was met with a devilish look.

The king boosted him up onto the rail of the stairs without a word, but Yusei didn't know what to make of the situation. "Jack, what are you—"

Jack held a finger to his lips. "Swing your legs over the side so that your feet are hanging over the drop," he whispered. Once Yusei's back was to the stairs, he got up as well. "Now just keep your balance centered, and you'll be fine."

Yusei watched in amazement as Jack easily slid down the banister and hopped off at the end, bowing thereafter like he had just performed an incredible stunt. He took off after him, following the blonde's advice to stay centered. It felt incredible to fly down the rail, and by the time he reached the bottom he was full out laughing. Jack caught him and helped him down, grinning from ear to ear.

"That's how you tackle the stairs around here. Just don't let Godwin catch you doing it, or you'll never hear the end of it."

They then scurried as fast as they could out to the gardens, where a pristine white table was set up with fine pieces of silver cutlery and delicious looking food laid out for the meal. Everyone stood up as one when he and Jack appeared, swarming him from all sides and trying to hug him without jostling him too much. Jack laughed as Yusei struggled to breathe and everyone repeatedly gave thanks to no one in particular for bringing him back safely. After the thorough cuddling Jack helped him to his seat to the side of the king's chair, the place normally reserved for the queen. Yusei didn't feel ashamed to sit there and just smiled at everyone as they told him they were glad to have him back. The meal commenced shortly thereafter and the meal was quite lively with discussion. Questions were shot back and forth about how Yusei got back and what he ate in the forest and how long Judai and Jack were out looking for him.

When Yusei finished his meal he asked to be excused to go see Stardust. In the panic and excitement of waking up in the forest and running from the wolf, Yusei had completely forgotten about his wonderful steed who had weathered the storm as much as he had. Judai offered to help walk him to the stables and Yusei eagerly scooted out his chair, but before he could rise a hand clamped down on his.

"I'll let you go visit him under one condition," Jack said sternly, the former merriment gone from his eyes. Yusei felt his heart begin to race a little in concern of this sudden mood change when Jack suddenly grinned and gently squeezed his hand. "You have to tell me if you plan on getting lost again so I know to look for you."

Yusei smiled, although he wouldn't deny that he almost had a heart attack, and nodded in concession. "Very well."

No, he didn't believe that this happiness would last forever. He and Jack were bound to hit more roadblocks and their temporary truce would not hold up for long. He didn't look forward to the end of the hundred days when Jack would have to concede to the fact he lost the game and didn't convince Yusei to marry him—not like he did before. It would be a stressful day likely to be full of awkward encounters and an upset parting.

But then again, he wasn't omnipotent. Who knew what the future might hold? Maybe, just maybe, he and Jack could leave on good terms. He'd never met someone like Jack before. It wouldn't be so bad to have a guy like him for a friend.

Yes, he would like that a lot.

.o.

Jack leaned over the edge of the stone hedge to watch Yusei. He was being helped up onto Stardust's back by Judai, who stood patiently for his rider like he was aware of his injuries. Stardust was equally torn up, although the majority of his scratches originated from branches and bushes scratching him than a wolf attack. He had arrived upon the scene of Yusei killing the wolf, but instead of tearing off at the smell of blood, circled the two until the wolf was dead and then stood over the prince like a watch dog when he collapsed from exhaustion. It was an admirable beast, he'd give it that much. A small part of him wanted to breed the silver horse with a few of his broodmares—Red Demon had already fathered many champion war horses himself, but Stardust came from a different stock of horse that was better suited for traversing the mountains and living off of less food. It would make for a good variety in breeds.

Yusei laughed at some immature quip Judai had made, directing the king's attention back to the boys. Stardust's lead was no longer attached to his halter and Yusei was now guiding him on his own with just some locks of his mane and simple nudges. Stardust was a fair bit younger than Red Demon, a green four years old to Red Demon's seven. At that age, Jack never would've considered riding him bareback—he was too wild. There were still days now when Jack wasn't entirely confident that he could control him, although he kept such fears to himself. It was a pleasant change to watch Yusei on his calm horse walk in lazy circles around the courtyard. Red Demon would've been too bored with that and would've wanted to race about with reckless abandon if possible. He had too much pride as a mature stallion to want to bond in the passive manner that Yusei and Stardust seemed to be doing. He liked to fight with the colts, offspring or not, and he flaunted his handsome body to the mares in other pastures.

_This is starting to feel a little too familiar_…

All the same, he hoped that Stardust didn't turn out the same way. Not to say that Red Demon was a terrible horse—he was far from it. But like his master, he reserved his respect for a small few, and that didn't bode well for the groomers and stable hands that looked after him. Stardust, like his owner, seemed to be of a gentler disposition. As long as you treated him right, he would act accordingly.

There was only one time in his life when he remembered seeing Red Demon acting gentle towards something, and that was many years ago to a young filly he sired. Her dam had died giving birth to her and a twin, who also died, and was left all on her own. He couldn't recall what happened to it, but he remembered fondly that Red Demon had stayed besides the fence to the next pasture the entire day with the playful filly, running up and down the lengths of the field and occasionally reaching over to kiss her head and nose her withers. A filly on its own wouldn't make it without a foster mother or good care, and he imagined she probably died, but the image served as a reminder that he had a wonderful horse, and it was the best present he had ever received for his birthday.

"Your Highness."

Jack cast a minimal glance over his shoulder at Godwin, who approached slowly with his hands folded behind his back. "Godwin."

The older man leaned over the railing to see what had caught his eye. "Still watching over Prince Yusei, I see. Of course, I imagine now that you wish to keep him in sight at all times."

Jack grimaced at the thought. "Hardly. That would be horrible for the both of us. But when he's not concerned with upholding his royal stature (almost never) he's very…therapeutic, to watch."

Godwin nodded, eyes as focused now Jack's on the raven haired prince of the Satellite. "You two seemed to have mended things between yourselves."

"I'd like to think so." Jack agreed. He and Godwin watched the odd duo in the courtyard, Judai eventually joining in the small pleasure ride with Yubel and the two laughing hysterically at old jokes and memories of the past. It felt like he was intruding on a bit of Yusei's life when he watched him reminisce like so, but he knew that hearing more about his life was easier this way. "I almost kissed him, you know."

"Almost?" The gray haired man said with amusement. "Did he come to his senses at the last second?"

"No," Jack snapped defensively, "His leg had started to hurt again and I realized that getting him back was more important."

"And how does he feel about it now?"

"He doesn't. The trauma of yesterday was so bad that he's repressed it."

Godwin let the thought stew in Jack's head for a moment, but his response left Jack a little anxious for the future. "If he's repressed it, then that means he might remember it one day."

"You think?"

Godwin clapped him on the shoulder. "I wouldn't doubt it for a second." On that note, he turned about face to leave. He got about five paces before Jack called out his name again.

"Godwin," he said, "You won't believe what Yusei said to me the other night."

"Won't I?"

"No. He told me that to have a shot at winning him over, I'd have to tell him why I attacked Judai."

"And did you?"

Jack shrugged. "In my own way, I suppose so. But exposing his feelings like that has shown me that I'm on the right track."

Godwin chuckled. "You aren't going to up the ante on this little game of yours, are you? Because I doubt Yusei will fall for any more of your tricks."

"I'm not increasing the stakes. I'm simply going to…change my attack strategy, so to speak." He smirked at Godwin. "I still have a few more ideas up my sleeves, and I do so love to experiment."

Godwin gave Jack an enigmatic smile before turning to leave, walk steady as usual. "The board has been set and the two of you have just put your first pieces on the playing field. Just remember what I told, Jack. His pieces have as much meaning in the game as yours."

"Perhaps," the king said to no one. "But I feel he still hasn't learned all the rules yet.

"Let the games begin."

.o.

**You have no idea how many times I rewrote this until I was satisfied with it…**

**I'm sorry you had to contend with a crazy Yusei, but starving, dehydrated people do some really weird shit after a while. I hope I portrayed that accurately…**

**I also hope you enjoyed the steamy part in the forest, because I can't promise a whole lot in the future. There's already a plan for another one, but that is still a chapter or two away, and probably not to the intensity of this since Yusei will be firing on all cylinders again when it does occur.**

**Poor Jack—the only action he seems to get is sleeping in the same bed as Yusei, and Yusei's not even close enough to cuddle with!**


	8. Sexual Expression

**Day 91 to Day 90.**

**I just watched episode 74 of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's and saw the outfit Jack had on. Any more buttons, and his navel would have been in full sight. I wonder if he's pierced that with a gigantic "A" too…**

**Warnings: Yusei gets "the talk". The world has finally come to an end. And an "F" word, if that bothers anyone. But don't worry, it's not part of the story.**

Chapter 13: Sexual Expression

"Come on, Yusei." Judai called from across the courtyard. "The more you think about it, the more it's going to hurt."

"I know," the sullen prince grumbled. "I'm just getting my bearings."

Three days had passed since Yusei had been found in the forest, and walking on his bad leg hadn't gotten any easier despite how much it seemed to have healed. Most of his cuts had sealed off and his broken fingers didn't hurt quite so much, although he still asked to keep them taped together until he was confident that they had completely mended themselves. The doctors were concerned about his ankle most of all, though, and every time they checked on it wore grimmer and grimmer looking expressions. They didn't stay it to his face, but there were whispers that he might have a limp for the rest of his life.

_I can live with that. I did kill the wolf, after all, so it's not like I have to live in shame of the animal running free and without punishment. Still_…

He didn't like the thought of never being able to properly run again. Running for the sport of it and playing tag with his friends back in the Satellite had always been a great source of joy for him. It left him feeling fulfilled at the end of the day when he went back home and had to resume his duties as the heir to the throne. Playing royal had never left him satisfied that he had done his part for his community—he needed to be out and about with the people, helping them repair their homes, hunting for game so that they could eat, playing with orphaned children and bringing them small treats that had been imported.

He couldn't do that if he couldn't walk the fifty feet across the courtyard—let alone run through a rocky forest after game.

"Yusei! Stop thinking, already! This was your idea! Now let's go!"

Stardust whinnied nervously at the prince and nudged his side with his long face. Yusei didn't want to resort to using a cane to walk around—it wasn't dignified for someone as young as he was. But he still needed to have support to keep his weight balanced so that he didn't strain his other leg by overcompensating. Stardust was a perfect method of balance, and one that wouldn't laugh at him when he fell or lose patience with his slow pace. Yusei stroked his neck before releasing his grip on the steed's mane and putting his weight on both feet. His ankle twinged but he ignored it. He had to do this.

"That's it, Yusei."

"I'm not a child, Judai!" Yusei yelled with a scowl. Judai just grinned like he was totally innocent.

"Of course not. Why on earth would you think that?"

"I'm going to hurt you when I get over there."

Judai scoffed. "Oh no, I better start running in an hour." The stable hands and gardeners were trying their hardest to be polite and not stare at the two teenagers, but found their verbal fencing too entertaining to not gawk just a little bit. Judai laughed. "Put your money where your mouth is, Yusei."

"Fine." He took his first step on his good leg, as always, before taking the next step on his bad one. Fire immediately shot up from the ground to his knee and made him stop to wince in pain. Stardust pawed at the ground and tried to nose his muzzle under Yusei's arm, but the prince pushed his face away. "Not today, Star."

"Come on, Yusei. You got this." Judai encouraged from across the courtyard.

He slowly straightened his back out and took the next step, the first being very simple and the second utterly crippling. He fought his hardest not to bend over and throw his weight onto his good leg, but it was difficult. Stardust tried to nudge his master's arm back around his head again, snorting like he couldn't believe what Yusei was putting himself through. The prince gently pushed him away again, not able to bear the thought of continuously relying on someone to walk. He had to get through this.

He continued the pattern of taking two steps and then stopping, but by the time he reached the middle of the courtyard, Stardust had stopped trying to convince Yusei to hang on to him. The pain was excruciating, but he bit his cheek whenever the urge to groan erupted. This torment would only stop when he conquered it.

"That's it, Yusei. Just remember what you're doing this for."

_I want to duel Jack again. I will duel him!_

Yusei lifted his head towards the sky, the sun beaming down upon him with the full strength of midday. _I want to duel Jack before I leave. I want to fight him again, this time without anything being on the line. Just the two of us, facing off in a duel that will reward neither the victor nor the loser_.

_I can't do that if I can't walk!_

Yusei visibly clenched his teeth as he forced himself to take not two, but four steps forward. His leg was threatening to give out under such strain, but he willed himself to stay upright.

_I'm more than halfway there! I got this—_

Gravity descended upon him and shoved him to the ground, eliciting a sharp cry of surprise and pain from the raven prince. He clutched his ankle in disbelief, cursing under his breath as jolts of pain ran up and down his leg. He could hear his spectators whispering all around him, but Judai told them all to back off and leave him be. He sat there on the wet ground with his eyes screwed shut, hissing as he waited for the soreness to be alleviated so that he could get back up. When he opened his eyes again, he found he had gathered a far larger audience than before, all of them anxious to see what he might do.

He openly grumbled to himself as he shifted his weight and prepared to rise, but froze when Stardust cast him a strange look and left his side to wait by Judai, eyes expectant and seeming to say, "Get on with it." Without anything around him, Yusei would have to stand on his own.

There were a few soldiers standing off to the side, all of them fixed on the supposed bride of their king. Their looks weren't critical, but he see could the doubt in their eyes. Yusei remembered being told that Jack had brought several teams of soldiers out to look for him, but for the life of him he could not remember their names or faces.

These men hadn't forgotten who he was, though, and the prince had a sinking feeling that they were the ones who helped retrieve him.

_Judai warned me about this. He said that the dehydration had made me act a little strange…damn repressed memories!_

Yusei inched his good leg under his body to use as lift. His hands remained out in front of him for balance. As soon as he was sure he wouldn't topple over, he slowly rose back up to a stand, good leg shaking under the pressure and weight.

_Queen of Neo Domino? Hardly. Those soldiers know that there's more to me than that_…

Tears were beading at his eyes from the pain. It hurt so much. But he put his bad leg down first in front of him.

_I killed a wolf with my bare hands and they watched. It's time that they see that that person was not a fluke or a spur of the moment type of thing. It's still within me the power to do that, and I will be _damned_ if I don't show them that!_

Judai's eyes grew wider and wider as Yusei drew closer, and the moment Yusei stood before him he wrapped his arms around him in a tight embrace.

"You did! You walked!" He let go to beam at his friend. "I can't believe you—ow!"

The brunette king rubbed his arm thoroughly while Yusei smirked at him, arms folded across his chest. "I told you that I would hurt you when I got over here."

Judai continued to cringe as he held his arm. "That you did…"

The trial over, the small crowd dissipated into the barns or stable, everyone murmuring indiscernible things. The soldiers were the last to leave, casting glances back at Yusei as they disappeared to different parts of the wall. One man nodded in his direction before he vanished down a flight of stairs, and Yusei felt his heart burn with pride.

"Oh, good." Came a light, female voice. "You're both here."

The teenagers turned to see little Mikage coming down the stairs that led up to the palace garden, her face a little red with the effort. Judai flashed a wide grin in her direction. If she didn't already have a family, Judai had once told him, he would've adopted her as a sister right away. Yusei could only begin to imagine the fun Judai and Johan would've had tormenting her like she was their very own little sister. He wondered if Mikage would ever accept something like that.

"Prince Yusei, how are you feeling?" She asked once she reached the bottom of the stairs. Yusei offered her a consoling smile. She never seemed to catch a break.

"A lot better than before, thank you."

Judai threw an arm over his shoulder. "You wouldn't believe it! He actually walked all on his own just now!"

Mikage's eyes widened in surprise. "That's wonderful, Prince Yusei! King Jack is going to be so happy to hear this."

"He better be," Judai said with thinly veiled disappointment, "It's not like he's down here help—" Yusei elbowed him in the gut. Mikage didn't need to hear that.

"Was there something you needed, Mikage?" Yusei asked.

"Oh! I almost forgot. Lunch is ready—the king is waiting for you two."

Judai smiled. "Thanks a lot, Mikage. We'll be right there." The dainty woman bowed her head before taking off up the stairs again, but Judai stopped her with, "Don't let Jack overwork you so much! Take a break once in a while." She glanced back only briefly with a blush before scurrying up the rest of the stairs and disappearing into the garden. Yusei gave him a look, but Judai pulled his innocent expression out once more. "What?"

"You. Come on, help me put Stardust back."

"You planning on walking up all the stairs, too?"

"Of course. If I don't continue to walk, I'm going to slip back into needing help and I can't have that." He rubbed Stardust's forehead. "If I want any respect at all from Jack…he has to see that I can fight back. No matter the circumstance."

Judai took Stardust's halter and clipped the lead to it, frowning as he adjusted some of the silvery blue mane that had gotten caught under the halter. "Fight who, exactly?" He asked. "Your situation? Or Jack himself?"

Yusei stopped stroking his horse. "I'm not sure."

"Well, you might want to figure that out before you go much farther. There's no point in being strong if you don't have a good reason to keep going."

.o.

Jack wanted to _die_.

His head had been pounding non-stop since he resumed filing the paperwork that required completion. Most of it had stuff to do the Satellite—any further negotiations, what to do if either state were to be attacked, trade opportunities—the list could go on. The rest consisted of small matters like people bringing in more money than usual or demands from other countries for Neo Domino exports. It wasn't anything that he couldn't handle, and he had become quite adept at managing all of the work on his own over the past two years despite Godwin's insistence on helping.

_Father was so lucky to have Mother helping him…it's going to be a real joy explaining to Yusei that he'll have to pull some weight as queen_…

It was tiring, and he hadn't helped his situation by putting it off for as long as he had. The recent events had left him feeling sour for most of the week, and he neglected much of his work to pine away in his rooms. He sorely regretted it now that things with Yusei were back to normal and the Fudos were comfortable being in his presence. They hadn't been before, and thus the opportunity to get a lot of work out of the way had been wasted. Now he was pressed for time to get everything done, because the Fudos could not stay for much longer. They had two days, tops, to get things finalized before they needed to return to the Satellite and see to their own affairs. Unfortunately, like him, they wanted to spend time with their son and see to his recovery.

He didn't blame them.

He was plenty mad at himself, though…

Mikage had been kind enough to fetch some more willow tea to have with his lunch, the bitter drink his only salvation from the utter torture of a migraine. Actually, the bitterness wasn't quite as noticeable now. He groaned to himself, the sound muffled by his arms, which were flat on the table with his face mashed into them. If the bitterness wasn't as strong, then it was possible the tea was losing effect. He hoped to God that that wasn't issue. Sleep no longer afforded him freedom from his headaches, and now he spent most of the night awake. Yusei, who liked it cold when he slept, made Jack stay on the far side of the bed and away from him, thus leaving him without anything to entertain himself with during the long nights. And then, when morning came, the king had the temperament of an extremely pissed off bear that wasn't looking to take any crap from anyone.

Needless to say, it was becoming very taxing on everyone, especially those who lived with him in close quarters and were subject to his less than stellar attitude. Yusei, bless his soul, was trying his hardest to put up with it without complaining, but even he was starting to look a little worn out.

The true severity of his sloth had made its appearance at dusk the day before, a period of quiet around the palace as everyone finalized chores that needed doing and got ready for bed. Yusei wanted to go for another small ride around the courtyard, and so he and Judai spent an hour with their horses, just trotting around in the small yard without much care. Wanting to get more work done, Jack had been in his spacious office at the time. When he had paused to take a break and stretch, he had gone to the window to watch the two boys. To his complete shock (and delight), Yusei chose that moment to peel his shirt off and ride bare-chested around the yard.

Jack hadn't been able to focus after that, and despite his severe tiredness, he very much wanted an hour or so of the night with Yusei to himself after everyone had gone to sleep. He didn't bother to consider the fact that Yusei would have _zero_ interest in fooling around with Jack—much less half naked—on their bed. He was so starved for some down time that nothing else mattered—just as long as he had Yusei moaning his name while on his back with Jack's lips glued to his exotic skin.

The king waited a moment.

Yes, he was definitely exhausted if the thought of doing horribly dirty things to Yusei _didn't_ arouse him.

Now that he thought about, had he gone through with that plan, his window of opportunity with Yusei might have slammed shut in his face. Not that he would've gotten the chance to go through with it all the way—it was simply the fact that he dared to try it in the first place that would hinder his progress. Perhaps it was a good thing that the moment he got to his room he collapsed in sleep without a care for Yusei's whereabouts.

Yes, that was probably for the best.

_How far have I sunk when I agree that _not_ plundering that boy into the mattress is for the best?_

Ugh, he could not wait to be done with this…

Doors creaked off to his side at an annoyingly high pitched decibel. Without opening his eyes he covered his head with his arms is if in defense. Judai's laugh was the first thing he heard.

"Hey, Jack! What are you doing?"

It took all of his kingly might not to pitch a fork at that boy's head. Judai may have not been an enemy, but lord was it hard to remember that, sometimes. _It's his voice! Why does it have to be so annoying!?_ "Protecting my ears so that they don't bleed at the sound of your voice," he grumbled, uncaring if Judai heard.

Judai _tutted_. "I don't know how you get anywhere with that attitude of yours. _And I really don't know how_ you managed to convince Yusei that it's acceptable. He hates grumpy people."

_That does it_—"I got Yusei into _bed_ with me! Do you honestly believe that convincing him to put up with my work schedule for a few days is that much harder?"

The silence permeating across the room was definitely _stunned_ silence. "…I did not need to hear that."

Footsteps echoed across the room from outside on the stone path. Yusei's voice carried a question. "Hear what?"

"Nothing. Jack's just being pervert again."

"Tell me something new." Jack listened attentively to the familiar footsteps of the Satellite prince, slow and with a discernable limp. He looked up when the welcome weight of Yusei's hand clamped down on his shoulder. "Your head still bothering you?"

_God…and why does _his_ voice have to be so sexy?_

He sat up carefully to avoid making himself dizzy. "A little bit. Mikage brought me some tea, so hopefully that should…" Jack noticed that Yusei was beaming, but he couldn't begin to understand why. He stared back at the prince quizzically until he noticed that Judai had an equally ridiculous grin on his face, and that the other king was still standing by the doors to the garden. Yusei took a few steps back in emphasis as Jack slowly realized what was going on, and he jumped to his feet in amazement.

"Yusei, you're…" Words were lost on him. He decided to wrap his arms around the smaller boy instead, nearly sending him toppling over.

"Uh, Jack? Walking does not imply great balance." He held on to the taller man for fear of falling backwards, but Jack would never let him go.

Yusei's limp had been a wake up call to Jack. The morning after the rescue, waking up besides the prince with his arms around him had been a dream come true—a scene out of a storybook. They had bickered with each other good naturedly about the raven's apparent bashfulness around women, and Yusei hadn't attacked him when Jack took a daring move and actually laid across his back, pinning the boy to the mattress like he had dreamt of doing ever since they met. The nightmare that both had suffered through the past few days seemed like just that—a nightmare. A painful dream that both could shake off like a kick to the gut and walk away from with the pride of a seasoned warrior. But when he returned from his dressing room and saw the fear in Yusei's eyes as he fell to the ground, everything that he had tried to forget came back to him.

Yusei wouldn't have risked spending as much time in an unfamiliar forest if Jack had just come to grips with the fact that he let his pride get the best of him, but he hadn't. And Yusei calling him out on it like he had in the hallway the other day hadn't made things any better. He screwed up, and the price he had to pay was seeing the pain in Yusei's eyes every day as he tried to do things on his own and utterly fail because the wolf had crippled him far worse than they imagined. He tried not to show it, but watching him struggle to stand back up on his own damn near broke his heart. Because Yusei didn't blame Jack for scaring him into running away—he blamed himself. And every time he fell down, he merely smiled at Jack and shrugged "oops" before struggling to rise up once more.

Seeing that blameless smile only twisted the knife into him even more.

But to watch him walk around without help while wearing the biggest grin on his face gave him hope. Hope for his conscious because the injury was healing, and that one day the rift between them would be mended completely.

Jack would've continued to stand there with Yusei for much longer, lost in memory, but Judai suddenly felt the need to add to Yusei's previous statement. "No, but it does imply that you'll soon be in working condition, and that you'll be more fun to torment because he can play the grown-up version of tag with you."

Both king and prince turned their heads at the same time to look at Judai incredulously. Jack, because he couldn't believe how accurate Judai's statement had been, and Yusei, because the poor boy still held on to the hope that Jack was not nearly the pervert he made him out to be. Jack glared at the smaller king and made small threatening motions with his hand (although made sure to keep them out of Yusei's line of sight) but the brunette merely shrugged like he had Jack all figured out.

"That wasn't very nice, Judai." Yusei said with a frown. His friend shrugged at the prince's ignorance.

"The truth often isn't."

"_Anyways_," Jack said with emphasis to pull them away from the topic of his overwhelming lewdness, "I'm glad to see you back on your feet. So to speak."

Yusei let go of Jack once he was completely upright. "Thanks. But it was just a short walk across the courtyard and up the stairs. I don't think I'll be doing any hiking for a while."

_Twist went the knife_…

"And speaking of just getting back on your feet," said Judai sternly, "You need to sit down. Otherwise you're putting too much strain on the leg again and this'll take twice as long."

Yusei made a face at the brunette but respected his wishes, Jack sliding his chair out for him to sit down before seating himself. Mikage soon returned to the glass walled dining room with food bearers in tow, a regretful look on her face. "I'm afraid that Lord Godwin and the Fudos will not be attending."

Yusei's concern was instant. "What? Are they okay?"

"The queen is not feeling well at the moment and King Hakase did not want to leave her side. Also, Lord Godwin said that he had some pressing matters to attend to, and thus would not be joining you this afternoon."

Jack wondered to himself about what the pressing matters could be, but Godwin often took care of problems in town without alerting him first to save time. If he had left just for time off, Jack wouldn't have been upset, but the man's idea of fun was doing paperwork.

_He's probably seeing to something in town_, Jack thought to himself. _I ask later_.

Godwin's lack of attendance didn't faze the three teenagers much, though. The usual stiffness that the man seemed to bring with him everywhere he went had evaporated for the time being, leaving the three to behave as they saw fit.

Which wasn't very well.

Judai was very skilled when it came to catching food with his mouth, and so the temptation to just throw things at him without warning became a dark evil that loomed over both Jack and Yusei's head. He couldn't remember which one of them broke first, but it didn't take long for both of them to begin throwing food with reckless abandon at the Neospacian king. Judai managed to keep up for the most part, but as lunch wore on and the trio grew sillier his accuracy seriously diminished. After being pelted with so much food he decided to strike back at both of them, the game descending into all out war as they ducked behind chairs and the table. Yusei's aim was the best out of all of them, although his ability to duck and run were hampered by his bad leg. Without words, both Jack and Judai communicated that they need to ease up just a little bit on Yusei to give him a fair chance, but their lack of offense in his slow moments made him only grow bolder. Oh yes, Yusei felt no guilt in hitting them twice as much as they were hitting him. If they weren't in the middle of a very sticky food fight, Jack might've had the frame of mind to find Yusei's ruthlessness sexy.

It wasn't really clear what ended the fight, although if Jack had to hazard a guess, he'd say Judai slipping and falling to his butt was a good enough reason. They stopped their battle to examine their surroundings, the table largely empty of food while the floor was littered with it. If he hadn't just been partially responsible for the mess, the king would've thought animals had torn the place apart. Jack sighed at the mess they made, unsure of how he was going to explain to Mikage why he made a mess of her dining room. (Yes, as far as anyone was concerned, the dining rooms were hers. Jack would never deny it.) He and the others may have been teenagers, but that meant little when said teenagers consisted of two kings and a queen-to-be.

Everyone's clothes were speckled with grease stains, so there was no disguising what they had done. Jack stomach gurgled in slight regret of not having gotten to eat more, but the king decided the he'd just have to wait until dinner to be fed to make up for wasting a meal. Everyone stood silent in their surveying of the floor, not really sure how to broach the subject of "whose fault is it?" or "what now?" with each other. Yusei looked the most regretful out of all of them, although Jack couldn't pinpoint whether that stemmed from wasting food or being the one who threw the most and thus, made the most mess. He didn't really care one way or the other whose fault it was (it was totally Judai's) but Yusei's silence in particular was a little worrying. Jack put on the most reassuring grin that he could and stood next to Yusei, one hand on the small of his back.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted, right?" Yusei's glare seemed to say the exact opposite, and he removed Jack's hand with harsh slap. After staring at the floor some more he limped his way out the open garden door and disappeared from view. Jack started after him in confusion, but Judai put out a hand to stop him. A moment later, Yusei returned with a broom that he must've found outside, and began to push it across the floor.

Jack started to ease closer to his distraught bride. "Yusei, what are you—"

Judai put up an arm again to stop him. "Just leave him alone, Jack."

"But he doesn't need to—"

"He knows, Jack."

This wasn't making any sense. "Okay, you've lost me."

The brunette scoffed. "Huge surprise there."

"_Judai_…"

"If Yusei hasn't told you already, then I won't explain anything, either," said Judai with the air of finality. The sound of the bristles across the floor were grating on Jack's nerves. The brunette eyed the blonde king coldly. "I understand that this isn't how you operate and I know you don't want him pushing himself when he's injured, but just let it go. You said that you could give him anything he wanted, right?"

"This isn't exactly what I meant…"

"_Whatever you meant_," Judai growled, "You still said it. So let him clean up."

Jack tried to keep Judai's gaze, but the continuous sweeping sound of the push broom broke his concentration. He watched Yusei drive on through with strict focus, eyes never once straying from the task at hand. He thought back to Yusei's earlier reaction to his failed attempt at comfort, and began to question where he anger was being directed. Was it something he did?

_He denies it, but sometimes I honestly think that he's a girl trapped in a man's body_…

"He's not upset with you, Jack," Judai assured him. Jack's stare jumped back to the shorter king, his comment completely out of the blue. Judai gave a small shrug. "He'll be fine in a little bit, I promise. This isn't the first time he's done this. Once he's satisfied, he'll come back."

"Come back from what…"

Judai's smile was weak, but it still carried the look of someone who was quite familiar to Yusei's odd habits. "The self-deprecating hole he likes to crawl in on a regular basis. Don't ask—it'll take to long to explain."

"So now what?"

"Now I wait. You have work you still need to get done, right?"

And they were back to the usual banter. Jack rolled his eyes. Honestly, why did he try to get along with him? "Yes, but—"

"Then shouldn't you be doing it?"

Jack leaned over Judai, eyes attempting to burn two holes into his head. He was grateful for being so tall. "And who are you to be telling me that I need to get back to work?"

"I'm not. But Yusei wanted you to come horseback riding with us today and show us the town, and I know that you won't let yourself off from work until you've completed the paperwork necessary to finalize your alliance with the Satellite. Am I right?"

It suddenly came to Jack's attention that he needed to get Judai to leave as soon as he could. Because the ease with which he disarmed Jack was _very bad_. "You have some nerve to use Yusei as motivation."

"Do I?" Judai asked with utter seriousness. "Last time I checked, that's what it means to be a king." He leaned a little closer than Jack for. "Now if you're done questioning my authority, why don't you get back to your paperwork?"

No, Judai could not stay in Neo Domino. Jack wasn't sure how exactly he would get him to leave, but this was too much. If Judai spent any more alone time with Yusei, who knows what might happen?

_I know what you're doing, Judai Yuki. I haven't forgotten our first conversation. And I will prove you wrong_.

.o.

The sun had disappeared behind the clouds for the day, leaving the wind cooler than one might expect on a summer day. Yusei laid down Stardust's reins to adjust his jacket and button it up properly, disliking the sudden chill of the air. Jack hadn't been too specific on how long Yusei had spent in the river, and he admitted to not drying him off right away. The result had left Yusei will the lingering bouts on hypothermia, but there was nothing the doctors could do about it except feed him warm foods and order him to dress warmly until the cold stopped bothering him.

He wanted to be mad a Jack for not tending to him right away, but the event fell under the category of "repressed". For all he knew, he could have been unconscious and in need of revival, or kicking too much for Jack to get near him until he was calm. The man didn't want to say, and the tone of voice he used when he mentioned the river incident made Yusei suspect that it had scared him.

Happy that he was much warmer, Yusei caught up with Judai and the two continued on their quiet walk around the fields. They had passed through the usual route in town, but Yusei didn't want to explore until Jack had the time to give them a tour. Judai thought it was a little silly not to go explore on their own, but acquiesced with the prince's decision to do it as a group. Had it been before the forest escapade, he might've felt differently, but Jack seemed to be making an effort to be a bit more hospitable. The least Yusei could do was keep to his plans to do things with Jack and let the experience be a learning one. He was curious to hear Jack's opinion about his home—not that he'd agree with any of it, because so far they still had their odds, but it would give him insight into the king's mind.

He wanted to know how he worked and how he thought. It wasn't necessarily because he wanted to get closer to Jack, but the blonde didn't need to know that Yusei had less than innocent intentions for spending time with him. Yusei wanted to determine Jack's strategy for making the prince fall in love with him. He was fine with letting him continue to think that Yusei was breaking down and falling in love for now—as long as he kept his hands to himself, it couldn't hurt. The plan was for Yusei to slowly turn those romantic notions into ones that were platonic. That way when the hundred days came to an end, they could part as friends with respect for the others' wishes and without hard feelings.

He liked Neo Domino. It would be a shame to not be welcome from time to time.

"So, did you guys make any plans for tomorrow, then?" Judai asked after an hour of silence. "I mean, he's got to be done with paperwork at some point, right?"

"I asked, but he says he still had a lot to do," said Yusei. Actually, he had so much still stacked up that he looked ready to cry. The raven tore out of the room before Jack could try to hug him for comfort. "I'm not about to rush him to be done with it. The work he's trying to complete involves the Satellite—I'll spend these hundred days alone if it means that he gets it done in an orderly manner and leaves no loose ends."

Judai laughed. "Don't you sound heart broken about it. Poor Jack—when I told him that you wanted him to come with us, you wouldn't believe the look he had on his face. You'd think I'd told him that you had agreed to marry him."

Yusei grimaced. "Don't say that. I don't want him to get his hopes up about this. He's really changed a lot since I first met him, but I don't want him to suddenly think that he has a chance with me. I think he has the potential to be a great friend and ally, and it would nice if I could just relax for the rest of my visit, but if he keeps thinking that I'm pining after him, who knows what measures he'll take to keep me here. I don't want him to spend lots of money on me or anything like that—not when it has better uses. Or—"

"—or change his mind about the hundred days rule and just keep you here forever like he originally intended?" Judai's face said it all. Yusei looked away in case he caught the look of worry that had surfaced, but he should've known better than to think he could hide. "Yeah, I can understand how that would be motivation enough to keep yourself as neutral as possible."

"I don't think that it'll happen, but with him…"

"You never quite know?"

Yusei nodded, voice soft. "Yeah."

Judai pulled Yubel closer to Stardust and took Yusei's hand, squeezing it gently. The prince tried to smile for his friend, but it was difficult. Judai's own smile was sad. "I'm sorry that I can't get you out of this."

"Don't be. I'm bound to run into situations as tough as these in the future. I can handle it. The key to winning is playing the right pieces at the right time. As long as I keep my eyes sharp for any tricks he might try to pull, I should be able to dodge anything he throws at me." He tried to sound optimistic. "Besides, I've spent my entire life in a forest hunting and playing games. All the political stuff has been handled by my parents. It was about time I got some experience negotiating with other kingdoms."

"If you can call a guy trying to get into your pants "negotiations"."

Yusei recoiled in horror at the thought. "That's not going to happen, I can assure you." He shuddered.

It wasn't that he found homosexual relationships wrong, but the idea of sharing something so intimate as sex with another person without really knowing anything about them felt wrong. He had never given sex much thought up until then, and he had no desire to let his first time be on superficial terms. A few of the boys in the Satellite had mocked him for it, but Judai had swiftly knocked them down and called them out on knowledge about relationships. And that was all that mattered to him. If the right person came along, then he'd love to have the opportunity to share with them. And if they didn't for several decades, then he was all right with that, too. Judai and Johan's relationship was more or less his standard for a meaningful relationship, and he'd held his own beliefs to that regard for several years.

_This all the more reason to try and understand Jack. I don't want to believe it, but Judai's right: I know that Jack wants to go a lot further with me than I've allowed, and I want to know why_. _Does he love me, or did my looks sway him? What about dominance? If allowed, would he be willing to relinquish it, or does he view it all as one big power play?_

Judai had once told him that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they have sex, and he didn't doubt it for a second. It was an act that could make even some of the most stoic people openly passionate. _Not that I'm willing to resort to sex to try and figure Jack out…but it's an interesting notion_.

The Neospacian king nudged him out of his thoughts. "Hey. What are you thinking about?"

"How sex can tell you a lot about someone's character."

The field erupted with laughter. "I wondered when you were going to give in. It seems not even the illustrious prince of the Satellite is invincible to the idea of amorous love making."

"I was more focused on the concept of it; not the act of sex or fetishes, you pervert."

"What can I say?" Judai grinned. "Johan is so insatiable, it's hard not to be. When you're with someone you like, you'd be amazed at all the crazy things you'll try just to make the experience better for them."

Yusei laughed. "And you two seemed so innocent in your love…"

"Don't be so critical, Yusei," the brunette said with a wag of his finger and wry smile, "Just you wait; there will come a day when you'll find the person you love more than anyone else. And when you do, it'll take all of your will power not to put your hands _all_ over them." He chuckled darkly. "I imagine you'll be quite the sex fiend. The quiet ones always are."

"That's indecent," Yusei said, although his earnest was seriously lacking. "There's more to a relationship than that."

"True, there is. But when you're not busy with that, what else do you think you're supposed to be doing?"

Yusei tried to keep a straight face, but the devious look on Judai's face was too hard to conquer, and he looked away before he too, became enamored with the pervert's ways. "You and Jack are so alike."

"What? Are not! Take that back!"

Glad he had the upper hand, Yusei shot a wicked grin back at Judai before nudging Stardust into a gallop. "Come and make me!"

"Don't think I won't!"

And the two raced home.

.o.

Yusei had been in bed for about half an hour when Jack stumbled in looking about as a dead as an actual corpse.

The prince laid down his book on his lap to watch the king shuffle about the room without much regard for what he was doing. He tossed his crown on the table where Yusei left his and threw his tunic and robes onto a chair. He kicked off his boots as he walked back to the bed, leaving them strewn across the floor without care so that someone would trip on them in the morning, and then stepped out of his pants before crawling onto the bed and pulling the covers over himself. Yusei leaned over to see if he was actually still breathing—his face was completely buried in his pillow and his body slack. Noticing that he had left his jewelry on and feeling a little bad for him, Yusei started to undo the catch of his necklace when Jack's head shot up in surprise, eyes wild and red with wear.

Yusei remained still while the king got his bearings. "It's just me."

Seeing as his stare was looking a little glazed, hearing his voice must've done the trick. Jack nodded weakly and fell face first into his pillow again. Yusei pulled the necklace free and tossed it on to Jack's night stand before carefully maneuvering his arms to remove the earrings from his head. Once those were laid out on the table as well, Yusei sat back to ruffle the hair on Jack's head in reassurance. He sighed appreciatively and leaned in to the touch. When Yusei tried to move back to his side, however, Jack's longer arms snaked out unexpectedly and wrapped around his hips, trapping him in the middle of the bed. Jack let out a long groan, body moving with him, before he mumbled something.

Trying to remain diplomatic about the situation (aka, resisting the urge to smack Jack in the head with his book because they talked about cuddling) Yusei politely asked, "What was that? I couldn't hear."

Jack finally turned his head to the side, amethyst eyes like liquid purple in the firelight. He wore heavy bags under his eyes, the skin a grayish blue with ill health. When he spoke, it took all of Yusei's focus to hear him. "I said I'm sorry I was so busy today…"

Yusei rolled his eyes, fighting his smile. "It's okay, Jack. I'm going to be here for a long time, anyways. It's no big deal."

The blonde didn't seem to hear him. "Since the day we met, I've wanted to spend time with you. We were supposed to have fun this week, but I put off my work so much that I can't…I'm so sorry…"

The prince awkwardly patted an arm, worried that Jack might start the water works again. It seemed that whenever he got too tired, he burst into tears. That couldn't have been normal—or healthy. "It's all right, Jack. Why don't you get some sleep now, okay?"

Warm lips suddenly molded to his bare skin. Jack had pushed up his shirt to kiss his hip. "I promise we're going to do something real soon…it'll be just you and me all day…"

Yusei wiggled free of the touch, face red with embarrassment. Jack was too tired to keep up the hold for long, and his arms eventually weakened enough that Yusei could get free and return to his side of the bed. He considered briefly getting another room for the night in case Jack got ambitious, but the tired words that followed Jack's promise…stopped him somehow.

"You're really pretty, Yusei."

Okay, maybe it wasn't such a big mystery as to why he stopped. He was curious to see what other wonderful comments Jack felt he had to say before he had fulfilled his daily need to be an ass. Some things just didn't change.

"I don't mean you're pretty like girl," he mumbled sleepily. That was reassuring—so he wasn't even _that_ pretty in Jack's eyes? That made Yusei feel better... "Girls are a different pretty. They're all delicate and flowery, like good china or glass…stuff that breaks. You're a different pretty. You don't back down when I say stupid things to you, and you look alive when you challenge me. You're really strong…and you're compassionate…You're not afraid _to be_, Yusei. You're whole, and your someone to look up to. That's why you're really pretty. I know I called you effeminate before, so you needed to hear this…you needed to know."

To say Yusei was stunned was an understatement.

Jack did not openly apologize, save the one time when both of their emotions were running rampant and they were beyond exhausted. Hearing his round about apology was staggering—an apology was still an apology, and somehow this indirect one felt more sincere. Maybe it was because Jack simply didn't apologize, and any that he gave directly were to be taken with a grain of salt and a reminder to keep an eye out for possible retaliation. Apologizing by _not_ apologizing…something about it fit Jack to a T.

The blonde, who had been propped up and elbow during his confession, collapsed with a sigh back onto the bed and slipped into the world of the dead for a spell. Yusei remained where he was, half poised to escape the room and with the biggest look of shock anyone could ever have on their face. He waited for Jack to pop up and laugh. To say it was a friendly joke. Or even a cruel one. Or a test of sort for his reaction. Anything.

_Everyone likes to hear someone say something good about them. It's how a lot of people provide foundation for their own strength and courage. So why don't I want it?_

He sat there, his feet swept out from under him and his firm ground suddenly missing. Once again, he was faced with not knowing what to say to Jack, a man who irritated him beyond all belief and could reduce him to an arguing child at the drop of a hat. Someone who in the span of four days was able to rip him open like a locked book and just dump the contents on the floor. Yusei realized that he was scared again—not of Jack but of the things he said. Because moments like these only further drove home the fact that this was _real_.

He didn't even know what _real_ meant in this situation.

And that's what made it all the more frightening.

He couldn't recount how long it had taken him to finally crawl back into that bed. He blew out the candles and lay there in the dark for what felt like hours, staring straight ahead and at the quiet moon out the window, so small and unassuming for something that provided security from the creeping darkness. Yusei tried to close his eyes and doze, but his blood was racing too much to settle into any state of rest or unconsciousness. It was like being in eternal shock, forever suspended on the edge of the situation without any escape from the hell. Evening turned into midnight and midnight turned into dawn before his eyes. Night felt like a long, drawn out experience, and yet a blink of the eye at the same time. His father told him that was what battle was like—it was unending and relentless, and just when you thought all was over hell returned from the dead to continue to nightmare. It felt like it would never end, but once it was over, it was like it had almost never happened. It almost drove him insane, Yusei's mother once whispered. His only salvation had been the bruises and cuts he retained for months on end, stark evidence of what he had endured.

But Yusei had nothing. And the event was beginning to feel more and more like a dream.

He screwed his eyes shut when he felt Jack stir behind him, an automatic response whenever he was awake before the king. He followed Jack's advice to keep his breathing shallow but steady, and pretended to sleep as Jack sat up.

Yusei was curious as to why the king was even up when he had returned at such a late hour and the sun was barely up, but there was no way to ask without it being awkward. He continued to act as if he was out, praying that Jack wouldn't see his racing pulse in his throat. The king remained where he was for a while, seemingly staring at nothing. When the sun started to crawl higher into the sky and the first weak ray landed on Yusei's face he started to shift about again, and much to the prince's dismay, sit besides him.

"Yusei," came his soft whisper. His face was well out of Yusei's personal space, but like always, he pushed it when he didn't get immediate results. "Yusei," he said more forcefully, proximity far too close to be decent. The prince pretended that something had irritated him and frowned slightly before giving a light sigh and rolling more on to his front. Jack sighed to himself, clearly disapproving. "Lay-about."

_Who is he to call me a lay-about?!_

It was almost impossible not to jump when a warm hand suddenly brushed the fringe of dark bangs out of his face, and Yusei applauded himself for the restraint. That same hand then trailed a finger down the side of his face before smoothing his bottom lip with a thumb. Jack still sat way too close for his comfort, and in his opinion took way too long sitting there and staring at him. Who did that sort of thing? It was taking all of his control not to simply sit up and tell Jack off for being a pervert, and when Jack came closer again wished that he had faked waking up.

Jack kissed the corner of his mouth gently, careful not to disturb the bed around Yusei. When this garnered no reaction, something wet and warm flicked against his chin before trailing up his jaw and behind the shell of his ear, where Jack then blew to chill the area. The sounds he made were akin to a smirk, and then he pulled back and shimmied off the bed, satisfied.

Yusei prayed to any god who would listen that Jack hadn't seen him blush in utter embarrassment for letting the king do that to him. Jack walked around the room, presumably cleaning up the clothes he had left lying about and changing into new ones. As soon as that was done he returned to Yusei's side once more, this time sitting on the edge of the bed and with a clearer view of the prince's face, to which Yusei inwardly cursed. His voice carried a leer, and a dangerous one at that. "We're going to have fun tomorrow. I promise." A large hand patted his ass. "So once you're done pretending to sleep, I suggest that you get whatever you need done today. You'll be mine for twenty four hours, _and I don't like interference_." With that said, he vanished.

…_I am so sleeping in the forest tonight_…

.o.

**You perverts thought something good was going to happen, didn't you?**

**Jack: If the chapter title contains the words "yaoi", "lemon", or "sex", it's reasonable to assume that that's going to play a major role in the plot. Fucking tease...**

**XD**

**I haven't watched GX and I don't know how Judai really behaves, so I apologize if he seems really out of character. But writing him as a shrewd king who knows what he's doing is too much fun, and Jack needs a rival that will put him in his place. I promise that he's not evil!**

**I really enjoyed writing this chapter—it's a lot of fun switching back and forth on these guys' perspectives and coming up with their strategies for winning. For any of you who have watched Romeo x Juliet (the anime) I always kinda pictured Yusei as Romeo. He's way too damn sweet most of the time and has his own unique sense of justice.**


	9. The Filler Episode

**Day 90 to Day 89.**

**There's not enough humor in this story, I think, so here's a chapter that should hopefully have more than usual. I can't promise it'll be any good, but this chapter is less dark than the others. I can't promise that will last real long, either… XD**

**Warnings: Um, two young boys have a half naked pillow fight and tickle fest before they collapse on the bed in a tangle of sweating limbs, riding the highs of ecstasy and pushing the boundaries that had originally been established? (Just kidding. Sort of.)**

**This chapter is weird. Sorry.**

Chapter 14: The Filler Episode

Judai stared at Yusei incredulously. "What did you say?"

"I said _hide me_."

"Okay," he said slowly. "Why?" Then Judai thought about it. "You made Jack mad, didn't you?"

The raven prince just glared at him, the suggestion either far from the truth or right on the mark. Judai stepped back so that Yusei could trudge into his room and throw himself on the bed, face first. He glanced down either side of the hallway for any signs of people before closing the door and facing his friend, who hadn't rolled on to his back. "So, why are you hiding?"

Yusei propped himself up on his elbows, although he didn't turn to face the brunette. "I'm not hiding."

"Then why did you just say—"

"It was the first thought that came to mind, okay?" Yusei snapped impatiently. Judai frowned at the tone but just crossed his arms in response. He couldn't _wait_ to hear this one. "It's not like I can hide, anyways…"

"No, not really. But you can at least tell me what's going on."

It was barely past six in the morning, a time Judai knew Yusei rarely got up at if he didn't have any work to complete. He had been asleep himself, actually, and in the middle of a very tantalizing dream about drizzling hot chocolate sauce down Johan's body when Yusei started banging on his door. _Again_. He had gotten up and answered because he knew Yusei would do the same for him, but that didn't mean he wasn't irritated about having his dream interrupted. The last time he had slept this long without Johan had been when he was visiting the Satellite for Yusei's eighteenth birthday, and Johan had to take care of some border disputes. When they were reunited after four days, they went everywhere with each other, hand in hand, for over a week. It felt odd now not having the extra body in his bed, and despite having Yusei's company around all the time…he was getting lonely.

Oh, who was he kidding? Judai had passed _lonely _and sunk into _deprived_. He had snapped two days ago and pleasured himself three times that night while thinking about his beloved, unable to save up his love like he had promised. _Not that Johan's holding out any better, I imagine_… Already he had plans for how he was going to spend the day when he got back, and to be honest, the majority of the plans didn't involve leaving their chamber.

Judai sat down on the bed besides Yusei and carefully yanked off the prince's boots, slightly concerned about getting any mud on the duvet. The prince didn't look back to see what he was doing. "So, I'm assuming Jack did something again, otherwise you wouldn't be here." Not that Yusei running to him made much sense. He still hadn't told anyone what transpired between him and Jack all those days ago, and the brunette had a feeling that this was one of those situations. His only relief was that Yusei didn't look ready to cry—only vaguely frustrated.

"He…did."

"So what was it this time?" Judai asked. He didn't expect much of an answer, though. Yusei could be like a girl sometimes, never really sure if he wanted to share something or not. Deep down, he knew Yusei wished he could tell him everything, but his pride often kept him from spilling the truth.

"He…wants to keep me away from everyone tomorrow."

Judai blinked and turned around so that he could look at his friend, even if it was the back of his head. "He wants to keep you in isolation? Why?"

"Because…because he wants us to have a day to ourselves. To do stuff."

If he hadn't heard such a worried tone from Yusei before, Judai might've felt crushed. But this strange melancholy that the Satellite prince worked himself into always seemed to stem from long periods of time spent with Jack. All Judai could figure is that the mixed feelings Yusei had for Jack were only getting worse, and Jack's forwardness was only growing bolder. He knew the prince's plans: get Jack to fall _out_ of love with him and become a good friend instead, but what he never seemed to be aware of is how hard is to _not_ fall in love with him. Judai never mentioned it, but many years ago he himself had a small crush on the prince.

It didn't last long when he knew that Yusei didn't feel the same, but the burning flame that had been his crush had been _hot_. The raven drew people to him like moths to candlelight, his straightforward mannerisms and casual but proper disregard for his status as a monarch appealing to a wide range of people. Not only that, his unfailing kindness to those in need, an emotion that was only magnified by spending his entire life in a poor country, could turn even some of the sourest of moods into sweeter ones. His amazing smile and gentle touch were like gold to his people, Judai knew. They treated him just like the other teenagers of the village, but he always held a special place. It was no surprise that Jack had fallen prey to the same characteristics that had both the men and women of the Satellite swooning—the only difference lay in that while the people could not afford to continuously attract his attention, Jack could.

And he had the power to keep Yusei by his side forever, willingly or not.

Said prince finally rolled on to his back and sat up, drawing his legs into his chest. Judai adjusted his seat so that they could look at each other. "Did he say to do what?"

Another sad shake of his head. "No, he didn't."

A small part of Judai—and by small, he meant microscopic—wondered if Jack was planning on doing what the brunette knew he wanted to do from day one. It wasn't particularly hard to notice just how deep his desire ran for the prince; Judai observed him from a distance when he wasn't paying attention, but Jack wasn't afraid to let people see just how much he desired Yusei. Whether or not he actually loved him and wanted his mind as much as his body had yet to be seen, but it was no secret that he craved to run his hands all over the prince's body. The king practically undressed him with his eyes every day. And if Yusei's attempts to have the three of them do things as a group was any indication, the prince was probably aware of it, too.

But the rest of his mind was still lingering on Jack's original statement, and the idea that he wanted to spend enough time with Yusei to be considered _quality time_ was significant. Jack may have wanted to see Yusei naked every day, but he wasn't stupid enough to continuously enforce that. He knew that it would take more than the offer of wealth to sway the prince, and Judai had an inkling that this was it. Whether or not he was doing this to curry favor or simply because he wanted to have a good time with Yusei was still up in the air, obviously, but Judai hoped that it was the latter.

"That doesn't sound so bad," Judai said, nudging Yusei encouragingly when his friend hid his face in his circle of arms. "I imagine that there are plenty of things for you to do that you haven't yet. This place is huge, after all. Surely getting lost in the forest isn't all that there is to do here?"

Yusei's voice was muffled, but the muted sound almost made Judai giggle. "Lord, I hope not."

"I don't think he has anything strange planned, Yusei. He watched you kill a wolf with your bare hands—I doubt he'll try anything without considering that first."

"I wish that were true," came the muffled tone. Yusei raised his head to look his friend in the eye, a small but wry smile across his lips in a failing but noble attempt to try and cheer up. "He licked my face."

Judai couldn't help but laugh, the sound so out-the-blue that Yusei almost fell backwards. "Ew! He did?" Never mind the fact Judai had put his mouth on things far more personal than someone's face—it was merely the idea of Jack doing it to his very innocent-in-the-ways-of-sexual-intimacy friend that he found hysterical.

Yusei smacked his arm, trying his hardest not to laugh. "It's not funny!"

"You said it just right, too!" Judai guffawed, slapping the bed next to him. "_He licked my face_…hah! Yusei, you're so funny!"

"I am not! Stop laughing!"

"You have Jack's cooties now, too!"

The prince shoved him backwards with the rambunctious attitude that had defined a young Yusei Fudo. Judai only giggled more at the thought of how different his friend was now, but Yusei thought he was still focused on what he had said. "How about I lick your face and see how you like it?"

The two only laughed harder as Yusei pretended to lean in to Judai and the brunette king did his best to fight him off. At one point he managed to get Yusei off of him, but the prince recovered quickly and decked Judai with a fluffy pillow, eliciting a loud "oof" sound from him as he fell backwards. It didn't take long for Judai to grab his own pillow and swing at Yusei, the raven deftly leaning out of range before he came back with a rebuttal. The two dueled like clumsy fencers for the longest time, laughing and snorting whenever the other made a strange sound in reaction to being hit. The bedspread eventually ended up on the floor and most of the sheets had come untucked with their tussling, the two eventually casting aside their weapons of choice for unarmed combat with their fingers, attacking the most ticklish spots they could reach.

At some point they called it quits and collapsed on the bare mattress in utter exhaustion. Both of their faces were red from too much laughing and a lack of oxygen, but the bliss of having laughed so hard was almost pleasurable. Yusei looked about ready to fall asleep, his eyes closed as he caught his breath, chest heaving a rapid pace. Judai shut his eyes as well as he came down off of his high, unable to remember feeling so good since he left home to visit Yusei. There usually was no comparison to the intense pleasure of making love to a wonderful partner, but he had to say—this came pretty close. He remembered hearing friend's say that laughter was a lot like exercise, but he had never believed it until now.

_Yes, this has got to be the second best way to get exercise_.

"Hey," came a weak voice. Judai opened his eyes to look at Yusei, who was trying to tug the duvet back onto the bed, "can I get sleep here for a little bit? I didn't fall asleep at all last night."

Judai nodded, leaning over to grab their discarded pillows. "Be my guest." He forced himself to go open the windows and the door that led to a small balcony, the air in the room too hot and stuffy for decent sleep. The sun was starting to rise now, having only been peeking over the horizon just half an hour before. When Judai crawled back in to bed, Yusei was already asleep, breathing now peaceful and steady. The king closed his eyes as well, loving the cool breeze that swept across the room and over the resting forms of the two monarchs. It was no wonder Yusei liked it cold when he slept—the contrast between the warmth of the bed and the frost of the air was wonderful.

It didn't take long for Judai to fall asleep, and when he entered his dreams, everything looked very familiar. He had barely finished turning about face when he spotted Johan lying gorgeously across their bed, naked as the day he was born and glistening with creamy dark chocolate. He simply smirked at Judai, whose mouth was watering beyond his control. He _did_ look delicious.

"I see the big brown bear has come to catch his dinner. Just how much do you plan to eat?" Johan said seductively, the most devilish of smiles on his face. Judai strode across the room as fast as human possible.

"_Everything_."

.o.

After that, the day went by almost too fast. It was lunchtime by the time Yusei and Judai got up, the two rushing to straighten up the room before anyone could make remarks as to the state of the bed. _I can't believe I let my mom's talk get to me_… They had already destroyed a dining room, and both were waiting for the blade to drop. Godwin hadn't been at dinner last night to question them, but now that they had missed breakfast, Yusei couldn't but help to think of the suspicions that were being raised.

"You don't think that Jack told on us, do you?" Judai asked as he shrugged on his tunic and bent over to lace up his boots.

"I don't think he would…" Yusei said slowly. To be honest, Jack would probably lay the blame on them just to get a reaction. He was kind of an ass, after all. "But let's not give them a reason to think we're guilty."

"Right." He and Judai jogged as fast as they could to the dining room, hindered only by Yusei's ankle and slight need for propriety around the servants. Yusei normally wouldn't bother with this, as his family often blurred the lines between royal and commoners on a daily basis, but after hearing Jack tell him that his servants frequently ran across him while he was naked, he felt the need to assure them that he was different. If only because Jack embarrassed him to ridiculous degrees.

When they reached the dining room (not the one that they messed up), they were worried to see everyone missing. A servant, who had been wiping down the long table while whistling to himself, told the boys that Godwin had wanted lunch moved elsewhere. The dread only grew worse as they realized that they needed to be at the glass walled dining room next to the garden, a set-up no doubt by Godwin.

They chose to slink on down to the other room, the weight of guilt dragging them down and the need to appear orderly evaporated. Yusei never thought that he'd face the same fears as an adult that he did as a child, and found it ironic that once again, he was going to be punished for something a child might do.

"Maybe there's a reason Jack is so stiff around others," Judai said after a moment.

Yusei nodded in agreement. "If I had to live around Godwin my entire life, I'd act like I had a stick up my arse, too."

Judai sighed disappointedly. "Makes you never want to have fun again, doesn't it?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

Lunch was hell. Jack wasn't there, and hadn't been for breakfast, either, apparently. The two boys were sent into the field alone, utterly terrified for when Godwin would drop the ball about them ruining the very dining room they were sitting in. Yusei's parents seemed to have no idea of what was going on, but the boys and Godwin had established a connection the moment they sat down and he started being overly nice. The man was having an absolute _blast_ not mentioning the food fight. The pain they suffered from the suspense was apparently worth far more than what they might've felt had he reprimanded them. Yes, Yusei learned a lot about Godwin's lust for vengeance that afternoon, and it only explained more about Jack's equally twisted personality. Clearly Godwin was a wonderful influence on him…

_Just how more sane would my life be right now if Godwin had never been in Jack's? Probably a lot_…

They almost got through lunch—but both of them cracked by the end.

"Jack did it!" They cried in unison. The Fudos just stared and Godwin hid his smirk behind his folded hands. When Yusei's mother asked what they meant, they denied any knowledge of what happened.

"What do you mean?"

"We don't know what you're talking about…"

"What grease stain on the wall?"

Unable to tolerate the embarrassment any further, the two excused themselves and swiftly departed without waiting for permission. Both prayed that Godwin was satisfied with the amount of torture he had managed to eke out of them, but Yusei wasn't going to hold his breath. Judai said he felt sorry for Yusei, because he still had to stay in Neo Domino with the evil man. Yusei just felt bad for Jack, who hadn't been able to defend his case (not that he had much of one) at lunch. They scurried through the halls in an attempt to get to the stable as fast as possible, flying past Jack at one point, who was absorbed in a document he was reading while walking. He looked curiously at the two as they flew past, the teens shouting see-you-laters over their shoulders and apologizing for nothing in particular. Yusei realized the stupidity of apologizing to Jack, and spent the next half hour beating himself up about it.

The day only seemed to go by faster once they were out on their horses, and before long it was time to head back for dinner. Yusei briefly considered his earlier plan to sleep in the forest, but remembered his talk with Judai from earlier and decided to put on a brave face. He wanted to say his bravery stemmed from the fact that he had killed a wolf, but not remembering the moment made it feel all the more like a dream. All he could do was take everyone's word for it and trust that they wouldn't lie about how he turned savage and ripped a wolf's jaw apart. If their stories were to be believed, then that was already proof enough he had what it took to defeat Jack.

He just prayed that he'd never see the day when using such primitive power was necessary.

The welcome wagon that stood waiting for the two out side the stable was not a happy one. Jack stood tall with his arms folded across his chest while he drummed his fingers against an arm, an irritated scowl on his face. Yusei slowed Stardust down, not eager to come any closer and any sooner to the king than he had to. But Jack casually strode up to Stardust anyways while Yusei dismounted, and the moment the prince turned around he jumped at the proximity.

"So," Jack started, "It's my fault?"

The automatic reaction was to grin like a little kid who was aware he did something bad but dumb enough to think he was too cute to be punished. Thankfully, Yusei had more control than that, and he managed to hold back any sort of face that might make his punishment any worse. "Oh. You heard about that?"

"Did you honestly think I wouldn't?"

"To be fair, it was the last thing on my mind at the time."

Jack looked extremely unimpressed. "I can imagine so…"

Yusei glanced around for any sign of Judai, but the king had cleverly snuck his way in to the stable with Yubel before Jack could get to him. Figuring there'd be safety in numbers, Yusei took Stardust's reins and began to lead him into the stable, but four fingers looped through his belt prevented him from walking away. "Why don't you let the stable hands do their job?"

"I don't mind—"

"Oh, believe me, I know you don't." Jack pulled Yusei back to his side but kept his fingers in his belt, although judging by the distance between them it seemed less about intimacy and more about security. He didn't want Yusei walking away. Someone eventually came out and led Stardust into the building, leaving the two to the dusk. Jack sighed and readjusted his grip on Yusei's belt, to which the prince spluttered and tried to loosen the hold. The two stood there for several minutes looking at the stable doors, but Judai had yet to reappear. Yusei wondered briefly is Judai was removing Yubel's tack as well and staying behind to brush her, but logic reminded him that the stable hands would have swarmed him the moment he set foot in the building and robbed him of any chance to do so.

So he was hiding.

The prince glanced at Jack, but the king didn't need him to point it out. "Judai, we're waiting on you."

Nothing.

"Don't leave me out here with him!" Yusei called in his most desperate voice, half joking. Jack didn't seem to find it funny and shot him an incredulous look, jerking on his belt to silence him. When no word came from the barn, Jack huffed and said in the loudest possible voice:

"I'm going to start doing dirty things to Yusei right here in front of everyone if you don't come out now."

That had the brunette _sprinting_.

Judai glared at Jack as he got closer, clearly mad about the method in he which he was extricated from the barn. He stood almost nose to nose with Jack when he stopped. "You have some nerve to use Yusei as motivation."

"Do I? Because last time I checked, that's what it means to be a king."

Yusei looked back and forth at both of them, confused. "What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing," they said in emotionless unison, eyes still fixated on each other. Jack tugged on Yusei's belt and grabbed Judai by the back of his tunic before starting for the stairs to the castle, steam almost simmering off his head. The trek through the castle was extremely uncomfortable, servants and maids stopping to stare at their king as he dragged the two down the hall like they were children. Yusei decided from then on that he would never mess with Godwin's temper no matter the price.

_There's nothing quite like being treated as a kid when you're eighteen to make you behave_…

Jack led them to the very first dining room Yusei had seen since coming to Neo Domino, a small room meant for a more familial dinner than the formal rooms that they had previously been eating in. The small, round table he and Jack had eaten at had been replaced with a slightly larger one to accommodate more guests. The small fireplace was alight and warm with a small blaze, and small candles lit the room with a gentle ambience. The seats were close and the atmosphere comfortable, if one looked past the blonde king standing there while holding the necks of Yusei and Judai in tight grips. It made the prince feel like a delinquent.

"I found the hooligans," Jack said off-handedly, letting go of the two by practically throwing them at the table.

Yusei's parents looked as confused as they had that afternoon, but said nothing as the boys regained their balance and rubbed their sore necks. Godwin smiled, tone convincingly concerned. Yusei sent him a look in the hopes of telling him he was sorry and to get over it already, but Godwin seemed to feel the need to drive the point home. _Don't mess up my dining room again_. "Where were they?"

"Out riding," Jack answered, pushing Yusei to an empty chair. Jack sat besides Godwin, and Judai and the blonde sat on either side of the raven prince.

Dinner felt a little strained in the beginning, because it was obvious that the Fudos wanted to ask what had happened to the dining room, but both Godwin and the three boys refused to broach the topic. To be honest, Yusei was a little more than grateful for it. He doubted his parents would be horribly upset by it since it was not their home, but back in the Satellite, a food fight could make one a social pariah. It was an unwritten law by which every Satellite abided by from birth—you simply did not waste food that way. Anything that could be saved was, and anything left over was fed to the animals so that they continued to stay strong. Not a grain of wheat was dropped, not an ounce of an animal went unused. Everything had a purpose.

_Of course, the people of Neo Domino don't see it that way, do they? A food fight is merely an inconvenience—something to clean up. Or in Godwin's case, an embarrassing thing to tolerate as someone of a higher status_. _A piece of bread being stolen won't result in a death knell for these people_…

Eventually the rain cloud that hovered above the three teens heads grew bored of tormenting them and dissipated, and they slowly opened up to conversation. Godwin dropped his strange behavior and returned to his usual self, avidly discussing with the Fudos the politics of some desert neighbors of Neo Domino with his usual temperament. Yusei had little say and so kept to himself, but the conversation soon relaxed him and he was able to enjoy his dinner. Jack didn't join the various discussions as much as Judai, but Yusei couldn't tell by his expression if he was still irritated with the two tattling on him or simply uninterested.

He found out about fifteen minutes later.

Yusei was feeling a little worn and wanted to go to bed earlier, his whole sleep schedule thrown off by staying awake all night and only get a few hours of sleep during the day. He had barely scooted his chair back a few inches when a pale hand clamped down on his knee mercilessly hard. Yusei sent a small glare at Jack and shook his leg to loosen the grip, but the blonde merely leaned in to growl in his ear, the other occupants of the room too distracted to notice.

"_Leave this room before I do and we're sleeping naked tonight_."

"_I think not. What is your problem?_" Yusei hissed.

"_I don't want you running off again_."

_Possessive much?_ But Yusei didn't want to argue in front of the others when it was none of their business, and so relented to sitting through dinner a little bit longer. _Damn this man_…_he certainly knows when to pick his moments_. Jack relaxed in his chair with the smirk of victory on his face, one hand propping his head up on the arm of the chair while the other continued to hold Yusei's knee. He loosened his grip eventually, choosing to gently massage the side with his thumb instead. It would've been a comforting gesture had Yusei not been forced to stay seated to avoid further _intimacy_ in bed. He was honestly starting to believe what Mikage had said about him being nicer as a young boy, as he had witnessed momentary acts of kindness from him, but it was starting to become quite apparent how much Godwin had influenced him since his parents' deaths.

_Godwin's influence or not, though, the arrogance still lies with Jack. He chose to become like him even though he was old enough to see the difference. What a moron_.

After what was beginning to feel like hours of just listening to people talk, the mood was beginning to settle down, and one by one the other people at the table announced that they wished to go to bed. Jack, with his ever deceptive smirk, agreed wholeheartedly and rose, offering a hand out to Yusei like the gentleman he thought he was.

_You're not fooling anyone_, Yusei said with his fixed stare.

Jack shrugged, his smile very nonchalant. _Maybe not. But your frequent outbursts are well worth the attempt_.

_Go to hell_.

_That's not a very lady-like thing to say, Yusei. I thought you of all people would have more class than that_.

_I am going to_—

_Murder me? Many have tried, Yusei. And many have failed. Just what makes you think you'll be the one to finish me off?_

Yusei looked away from the blonde king, not liking where their mock conversation was headed. He knew very well that he had the power to tear Jack apart, and reminded himself that he'd use such gifts should the need arise. But now that he thought about it, a small part of him wished he couldn't.

The prince stood up carefully and without Jack's help, but the king insisted on looping their arms together anyways before bidding everyone goodnight. Judai offered a reassuring nudge as Yusei moved past, nodding a silent "see you later" to the prince. Their walk back to the room was silent but peculiarly not awkward. This was the first time they were actually going to bed together, as Yusei had been drunk the first time, unconscious the next, and for the past several days, arriving at different times to sleep. He wasn't expecting it to a monumental experience (in fact, he hoped that Jack would make as little a fuss possible about it) but some small part of him was expecting something different. As to what, though, he couldn't say.

Jack opened the door and gestured for Yusei to walk in first, which he did, before quietly closing it behind them. Yusei walked over to the window, not entirely sure how this was supposed to play out. Jack disappeared into the other room, which Yusei strongly suspected was a dressing room, to change. The prince decided to look for his own clothes to sleep in, but could not seem to locate his things anymore. His clothes were gone.

_Where on Earth are my_—

"Your stuff is in here, Yusei," Jack called from the other room, like he could read his thoughts. Yusei whipped around to see the king stepping out of the dressing room, hands behind his neck to undo the catch of his necklace. He had forgone a shirt completely and slipped into loose fitting pants. The pants looked decent enough, but as a fellow male, Yusei could tell he wasn't wearing any undergarments. He didn't want to be one to judge, since he frequently slept nude in the summertime, but the fact that Jack wasn't wearing underpants while sleeping in the same bed as him was a little irritating. The prince tried not to stare as the king removed his earrings as well, but the combined shadows and lights cast by the moon and lit candles across Jack's body made the alabaster skin glow like an apparition. When Jack noticed his (and he didn't want to call it so) ogling, Yusei quickly darted past him and into the other room.

"Be back," he muttered, even though it was a pointless gesture. He didn't wait for a response. The next room was smaller than Jack's bedroom, but still large enough to hold many things at a time. Closest upon closets lined the walls of the room, a few gaps left between some of the wardrobes to allow light in from the thin windows. Padded chairs and ottomans were strewn about the room like it was a parlor instead of a dressing room, along with small glass-topped tables littered with some forgotten gloves or jewelry. There was another door on the far side of the room, but upon inspection, it was confirmed to be a bathroom. _I can't believe Jack never told me he had his own bathroom. Pompous ass_. One wardrobe was still left open, and inside Yusei spotted all of his clothing, every item hung nicely and folded precisely.

Yusei shrugged his jacket off and threw it over a chair to wear the next day, and left his boots resting at the legs. He didn't know what to do with his dirty clothes, and was about to fold them and leave them on the chair when he spotted a table in another corner with Jack's clothes piled on it haphazardly. Normally Yusei would've frowned at the disorderly arrangement, but it matched Jack's attitude so well that he ignored it. For a moment, anyways.

_If this is where I have to start in correcting his behavior, then so be it_, he thought determinedly to himself. Once dressed in a new pair of pants, Yusei strode across the room as quickly as he could with his own dirty clothes and set them on table. He then proceeded to fold all of Jack's laundry, the idea of leaving one's clothes rumpled and in a ball for the servants to take care of infuriating. In the Satellite, Yusei had been expected to bring his clothing down to the washroom for mending or cleaning, the trek up his spiral staircase too much for many of the aging maids that tended to the Fudo household. He didn't mind, especially since he'd grown up doing small chores like that since the day he could walk, but seeing how other kingdoms operated just…infuriated him. And not out of envy.

_How do these people learn anything if they never have to fend for themselves?_ Yusei thought as he heatedly folded Jack's long, sweeping robes. _I know how to wash my own clothes if necessary, and fix them if they tear, and I can build a house and hunt for food should the need ever arise. How the hell does he get off on not knowing how to do anything?_

"Yusei, they're just going to be unfolded and thrown into a tub of water, anyways."

He didn't shriek, but there was no denying his startled jump. Jack cracked grin at the face Yusei made and came in the dressing room, stopping at the laundry table to ruffle Yusei's hair.

"You're so weird, Yusei."

Said weird prince jerked his head away from Jack's touch, not in the mood for his antics. "If being weird is what ensures my survival when I have nothing, then it's a price I'm more than willing to pay." He then frowned at the half-empty wine glass in Jack's hand. "If you drink yourself stupid again—"

"I'm just having one to relax, Yusei." Jack said with a roll of his eyes. "And besides, if anyone here should be worried about people drinking, it's me. Five sips of this stuff and you're gone," he gestured with the point of a finger.

"It does not take me five sips to get drunk."

"Nope. That took one sip."

Jack fended off the smaller man by keeping an arm between them, careful not to spill any wine of the floor while he kept Yusei bay. "You seriously need to work on controlling your anger. It's _way_ too easy for people to get to you."

"Shut up," Yusei growled, throwing the hand off his chest. He brushed past the blonde, unwilling to stay trapped in the dressing room with him a moment longer. Jack trailed after him at a slow pace, casually sipping his wine with an expressionless look on his face. The prince stepped out onto the balcony, the door already open, and walked across the warm, terra cotta tiles to stand pressed against ledge. The moon looked brilliant that night, a bold ivory speckled with varying shades of gray. The air was temperate and comfortable, creating the illusion of already being wrapped in something warm. Yusei took a deep breath and closed his eyes, wishing upon the stars overhead for decent sleep, for both himself and his friends back in the much cooler Satellite. When he opened his eyes, the stars and moon appeared much brighter become leveling out again into their normal glow. Yusei's gaze strayed as he relaxed where he stood, and he didn't move when two hands came to rest on the ledge on either side of his body. Jack didn't stand flush against his back, but his warmth was easily felt.

"You can't see it from here, but out in those fields," a hand rose to point in the direction of the forest, "you can find hundreds of fireflies."

Yusei leaned backwards out of curiosity, and Jack brought himself closer so Yusei could rest against him. His back and Jack's torso arched in unison, the edges and curves of Jack's well-toned stomach a familiar feeling. _But how?_

"Did you ever go catch some?" Yusei asked after a moment of silence. He could feel Jack nod through his back.

"Yep. My dad and I used to go down at night when my mother was asleep to go catch them. We'd put some in a jar and place it on her bed stand to provide a nightlight."

It was a small window, but Yusei felt a gap opening. He wasted no time. "Oh, yeah? Did she ever know?"

"She did, although there were times when I think she wished she didn't. She always had this problem with me going outside the palace walls when it was dark, even when I had my father with me. But," Jack paused, as if to think over what he was saying, "It was always a fond kind of concern. She never got truly mad about it."

_Keep digging_. "How'd she find out?"

Jack let out a soft laugh. "Me. My dad told me that fireflies caught the moonlight so that they could see where they flew at night. I was so impressed by it that after I caught some, I rushed back home to show her." There was a definite smile on Jack's face, of that Yusei was sure. He didn't look back to see, though. "I ran to her side of the bed and shook her awake so she could see. She was infuriated to find out that I had been outside, but it was worth it to see her smile when she saw the fireflies…"

Yusei hadn't noticed that Jack's arms had come to rest around his waist until he looked down. He stared at them like they were a strange creature he had never seen before and didn't know how to handle. Jack didn't seem to notice Yusei's sudden straying from the topic and continued to stand there, looking out over his domain. The prince fought for a way to slip out of the grasp without upsetting the situation, but there didn't seem to be any way of doing it without Jack noticing. _Damn. Wait, why do I care?_

The hold on his waist tightened, though, like Jack knew he planned to leave. "Please stay."

"I wasn't—"

"Yes, you were."

Yusei huffed impatiently at the king, folding his arms across his chest in a show of irritation. He hoped that Jack would interpret it as disinterest in further discussion and let him go, but as always, it didn't work out that way. Jack was happy to be touching him, and he didn't want to lose all the territory he managed to gain.

Soft lips rested on the crown of his head, the blonde's nose buried in his hair. Jack took a deep breath of his scent and sighed, blissfully content. When he spoke, Yusei could feel his mouth move. "If I talk, will you stay?"

"No." Came his brusque, grouchy response. Yusei tugged his way free of Jack's hold. "I want to go to bed. I'm tired." He escaped to the balcony door before glancing back at Jack, whose expression was so strange it was difficult to tell if it was real or fake. His concern kicked in automatically, like it did for many others in need of comfort, and cursed himself as words spilled thoughtlessly from his mouth. "We have all day tomorrow. You can tell me more then. And besides, you look pretty tired, yourself."

_What am I doing? He's just going to interpret that as affection! Augh, I can't believe I—wait. No, I need to hear this! I need him to talk to me! We need to bond! If we become friends, then I can_—

His world spun as Jack threw him over his shoulder, like a soldier slinging a young girl after returning from battle. There was nothing for him to grab except air, and all he could do was stare uselessly at Jack's bottom. "Jack, put me down!" He tried to kick, but Jack wrestled his legs back down before Yusei gave him a black eye. Then he was suddenly on his back, pressed into the mattress of the bed with Jack hovering over him. He tried not to show his panic at the unexpected entrapment, but then all of a sudden Jack threw his head back to laugh.

"Oh, Yusei…" He breathed once he had control of himself again. He wiped his eyes of a few tears. "You're so funny."

_Why does everyone keep saying that?_ "Stop saying that!" Yusei growled, although his heart wasn't in it.

"Stop saying what?" Jack questioned. "That you're adorable? That you're funny? That you set my blood on fire with that ridiculously attractive body of yours? That you're everything I could want in a wife?"

Yusei could literally _feel_ himself blanch under Jack's scrutiny. Actually, it was what the blonde said that was more of a shock. Was he messing with his head, like he did in front of company? Or was this one of those situations where he was honest about his feelings and was simply telling Yusei what was on his mind? He really hated not knowing. "Uh…"

Jack cracked a wicked looking grin and leaned in close, frightening away any complaints Yusei might've wanted to be made known. "Good night, Yusei," he said, daringly kissing Yusei's cheek before sliding over onto his side of the bed, sending him one last devious look before drawing the covers over himself and settling with his back to the prince.

Yusei openly glared at the man now that he was facing the other way, and happily fantasized about smacking him across the head while he wasn't looking. When Jack didn't turn back over like he thought he would, the prince huffed in exasperation and laid down with his back to Jack. The moon accosted his eyes briefly with their sudden light before relaxing, and he stared out the window at the sky. He had to do something about Jack, and soon, before the man swept him off his feet.

.o.

**You all thought the pillow fight would be between Jack and Yusei, didn't you? Hah! As LittleKuriboh's Naruto says, "Ain't I a stinker?"**

**This chapter turned out a bit weird, in my opinion. I don't know how you guys found it. I will try to ensure that this is the last chapter to turn out like this, but no promises. I think my main problem was the speeding through the day so that I could get to the evening**.


	10. Remembrance

**Sorry for the delay—I've been trying to get things for college down and finish homework assignments on time, so there hasn't been a whole lot of space in my schedule as of late… ^^;**

**Ever notice just how goofy of a couple Jack and Yusei can be? If they didn't have Duel Monsters and D-Wheels, I can't even begin to think of all the horrible things that they would get up to in their spare time. I'm trying to channel those relaxed, goofy mannerisms into their behavior, although I have to admit, it's hard.**

**Anyways, thank you guys for all your support. :) You're my motivation for writing this. **

**This is being split into a two-parter, kind of like chapter 12.**

**Warnings: Um…a naughty dream?**

**Day 89**

Chapter 15: Remembrance 

_It was really warm._

_And uncomfortably so._

_Yusei squirmed, trying to awaken his stiff legs enough to kick off some of the blankets. It was difficult with the amount of fabric that had been curled around him, and he kept kicking something firm that refused to budge. When his labors proved fruitless, the Satellite prince relented to opening his eyes to find the ensnaring blankets and undo the knot they had miraculously tied. He groaned as he forced himself to lean forward minutely and attempt to locate the tangle with his blurry vision and one hand, the other arm beneath him to keep himself up. His pillow sighed at the loss of his weight and an invading arm tugged at his waist to get him to lie back down. Yusei snapped groggily at the hand and the indiscernible voice that sleepily demanded to know what he was doing, finishing his task of loosening the blankets around his legs. Once they were free, he shimmied the duvet down off his torso and kept the sheet as a mock cover before settling back down on the bed, much to the grumbling agreement of his pillow._

_The prince sighed loudly as he adjusted his body, taking his time to find the perfect position before closing his eyes. His pillow was just as warm as he remembered it, the gentle rising and falling of its sides soothing on his sleepy mind. He instinctively brought his hand up to rest besides his face, the pads of his fingers briefly tickled by a light fanning of hair. He briefly felt the hairs, and his pillow sighed appreciatively at the circling motion. The same arm that had previously tried to hinder his progress found its way under the sheet and to Yusei's hip, slipping under his pants to rest against his warm skin instead, holding his body close. He tried to dislodge the intruding hand by giving his waist a firm shake, but the hand gripping his side would not be easily deterred. He groaned in annoyance and went to remove the hand from his pants, but another hand snatched his wrist back and pulled it across the pillow to the other side, sliding it into place against the pillow's edge so he would hold it._

_The prince protested quietly about the rearrangement of limbs, irritated that he was being moved so much from his originally comfortable spot._

"_You complain too much, Yusei," Jack grumbled tiredly._

_The prince rolled his eyes behind his closed lids. "Shut up, Jack."_

_Jack._

_Jack…_

Wait a min_—_

_The blonde king was two steps ahead of Yusei, set to grab him before he had even contemplated sitting up to assess the situation. The prince had been resting his head on Jack's chest, said teen on his back while he held Yusei close. The firm object he had been kicking earlier was Jack's leg, and he now wished that he had kicked harder._

"_Calm down, already." Jack groaned as Yusei struggled, easily holding the smaller prince in place. "I didn't do anything." The raven would have none of it._

"_Let go me, _right now_."_

"_Or what?"_

"_What do you think?"_

"_Yusei," Jack laughed darkly, "I'd love to see the day that you actually land a punch."_

"_That might come sooner than you think…"_

_Yusei had purposefully worked to free his arms, diverting all of Jack's attention to that part of his body. His legs, unopposed, easily kicked at Jack, startling the king into loosening his hold. Unfortunately, Yusei underestimated his reaction time, and he didn't have nearly the amount of time he thought he might to escape. Jack was right on top of things, easily wrestling him to the bed again while he straddled his waist. Yusei thought of bucking his hips to unseat Jack, but thought better of it when he realized Jack was getting hard and grinning down at him in a manner that might be described as hungry. He wasn't too inclined on making the situation worse, so he stuck to trying to worm his way out from under the king._

"_To be honest," Jack panted as he fought to keep a struggling Yusei pinned, "I thought it'd take longer for me to get to this point."_

"_I find the fact that you expected to get there at all to be a little funny, actually." Yusei grit between his teeth, sapphires eagerly burning a hole in Jack's face. The blonde seemed unfazed, though._

"_Well, I did, didn't I?"_

"_Whatever," Yusei growled. He fought to free his arms, his shoulders thoroughly embedded into the mattress by Jack's large hands. "Would you get off of me, you pervert?"_

"_Why on Earth would I want to do that?" Jack asked as he gently thrusted against Yusei's hips, his tone dripping with hot, liquid seduction. The raven shot him an intense glower when Jack boldly made bedroom eyes at him, his foreign lilac eyes with their dusting of white speckles and honey blonde lashes creating a strange contrast to his own cerulean orbs and dark chocolate eyelashes. Yusei couldn't help but shiver under the gaze of the king's wicked grin, the sudden chill of the room only heightened by the growing heat in his face and the burning sensation in his groin brought on by the friction of cloth and Jack's rhythmic thrusts. In a rush of madness he used his adrenaline to fuel an attempted punch to the king's head, his breath coming out in harsh pants from air he had no idea he had been holding. The fist was caught by the king easily, and he brought the hand to his lips so he could kiss it. Yusei wrenched his hand from the king's mouth and proceeded to yell obscenities at the top of his lungs, thrashing and twisting about in a mad attempt to break free._

_Jack ignored him, easily pushing the arm back down and briefly stilling the younger boy's movements by carefully lowering his body down on top of Yusei's and continuing to softly rub their bodies together. The prince yelped in a manner that he himself could only describe as indignant and tried to resist the grinding as much as possible, knowing that the man above him had to have some stopping point in his tolerance of the prince's behavior. The king just smiled at him, though, like Yusei had made an honest mistake about something and was finding his reactions cute. "Did I, or did I not say that sleeping besides me would become habitual?"_

The nerve of this guy!_ "Do you honestly think I care?"_

"_You must, or you wouldn't be working so hard to free yourself."_

"_I thought I said no cuddling! Whatever happened to that?"_

_Jack fell completely silent and his grinding ceased, suddenly in awe of what Yusei said. The prince got a sinking feeling in his stomach as he watched the gears turn in the blonde's head. "So you're saying…you're fine sleeping with me, as long as we're not cuddling?"_

_Damn it, no—"I never said that! I was merely asking why after three days you decided to ignore my wishes."_

"_You never said it, but you also never said that you had an issue sleeping with me."_

"_Sleeping in the same bed as you, you idiot," Yusei spat, "Not with you."_

"_It'll all be the same, eventually."_

"_No, it will not!"_

_Jack was suddenly in his face, their foreheads barely touching but the proximity already more than stifling. He froze in his place, very aware of the king's eyes on his and the mingling of their warm breaths. He wanted to continue struggling so badly, but the intrusion of his personal space only served to fool his mind into believing that Jack had something very important to say._

"_You say that now, Yusei," Jack whispered against his mouth, body shifting so casually and so slowly over top of the prince that he took no notice of what the king was about to do to him. "But in case you hadn't noticed…" A warm hand suddenly grabbed his manhood, the throbbing sensation that had been pulsating so vibrantly in the organ suddenly sending sparks flying up his nerves and forced his back to involuntarily arching off the bed. Jack moaned with him, thrusting almost helplessly back against Yusei. The king managed to compose himself enough to at least lift his head up, their eyes locked as he said, "You're really hard."_

.o.

He woke up face down on the floor.

Every limb felt stiff and heavy with cold, the muscles throbbing with dull pain in a way that felt irritating. He groaned as he lifted his head up off the rug, his mouth full of small fibers and making his tongue feel fuzzy. Turning his head minimally, he could make out the faint traces of sunlight above him, the illumination glowing faintly off the crème walls of Jack's room. The air was only vaguely chilled, although that may have been due to his stillness, and the ambience was strangely quiet. He could hear birds chirping outside and the faint neigh of a horse somewhere in the distance, probably down near the stables. If he hadn't been on the floor, he might've said it was a good way to wake up.

"Uhn…_Yusei?_"

The automatic reaction to seize up and hold his breath overtook him without delay. Yusei silently cursed in his head and forced himself to relax again and just stay where he was, monumentally tired of Jack's mere presence petrifying him. Would the reaction ever go away?

"Yusei?"

The king sounded only mildly concerned about his whereabouts at the moment, but the raven realized that if he didn't make his presence known, Jack would assume he had run off without saying something. Was he always this possessive? He shuddered at the thought of Jack storming around his room in a frustrated haze while he plotted punishment, although more because he knew Jack would do it than because he feared retribution. The blonde seriously needed to learn how to let some things go.

He sighed to himself and tried rolling over onto his side, accidentally tugging some blankets off the bed with him. He must've been tangled in the sheets after all. How odd that dreams seemed to contain an element of reality to them. The prince waited a moment to enjoy the last peace of the morning that he would experience before Jack no doubt started their day off with numerous stressful activities designed to humiliate him. _Some things will never change_…

"Yusei?"

"Down here."

Yusei finally managed to convince his incredibly stiff body to wiggle onto his side so he was facing the bed, but he knew his blood still crawled languidly through his veins. He'd have to sit up if he wanted to feel better, but the mere thought of such effort was exhausting. Within seconds he could hear Jack crawling across the bed, springs protesting to his weight. A light shadow fell across the prince and he glanced up, the sleepy visage of Jack staring back at him peculiarly. His hair was sticking out at every angle imaginable and his eyelids drooped with wear. Yusei couldn't tell if Jack wasn't a morning person all together, or if going to bed late made him cranky. They hadn't had a lot of experience sleeping together—

Ugh—_next to each other_.

"Yusei?" Jack asked in a dulled tone akin to that of a smooth rocks rubbing together.

"Hm?"

"Why are you on the floor?"

Yusei didn't answer right away, brow furrowed as he tried to think of a reason. He couldn't find one. "I must've fallen over the side during the night."

The look on Jack's face suggested that contemplating that scenario was taking much more brain power than he had in the morning, and the result was a blank gaze and slightly scrunched up face as he fought for answers that wouldn't come. Eventually he seemed to realize that this was doing him no good and quit thinking about it, returning his lilac gaze to the prince on the floor. "It's warmer up here."

"I can imagine," said Yusei dryly, his aching back and weary mind in no position to enjoy having a conversation. He looked away from the king and tried to pull some of the blankets towards him, tired of being cold.

Sleepy Jack wasn't appeased with that reply. "Then why don't you get up?"

"Because I'm sore and don't feel like moving." Yusei huffed, trying his hardest to ignore the blonde's stare. When the prince made no effort to get up off the floor and rejoin the king in the bed, Yusei heard the creaking of bed springs and snapped his hand up in a warning at Jack. "That was _not_ an invitation to pick me up."

"Fine," Jack grumbled. His shadow disappeared, causing Yusei to look up for him. He had disappeared from the bed's edge, although the faint rustling of fabric could still be heard. The raven assumed that he was crawling back into bed and returned to trying cover himself with sheets, but moments later he was unexpectedly hit on the head with a pillow, shortly followed by another three. He sat up quickly and sent pillows flying, only to have a waterfall of sheets and blankets fall over the edge of the bed, swiftly followed by the purple duvet. Blinded by the mountain of blankets, Yusei couldn't tell what was going on, and gasped as hands suddenly appeared and tugged the blankets from his head. Jack remaining kneeling as he situated pillows all around them and formed a nest with the blankets, ignoring Yusei's pleads to stop.

"What the hell are you doing? This is not necessary!" Yusei made an 'oof' sound as Jack pushed him backwards and on a pillow, following the prince shortly thereafter and lying snugly against him, a thick pile of blankets consuming them both in purple. With the shared body heat and the numerous covers, it quickly became an unbearable temperature. "Jack, stop this!"

"Go back to sleep, Yusei," Jack moaned in irritation. The prince testily smacked his hands when he attempted to pull his tanned body against his pale flesh, but Jack was quick, and he easily snaked his arms around Yusei's small waist and tugged them together. The raven's head rested beneath Jack's chin and his hands unexpectedly found their way to Jack's unclothed back, the blonde hissing softly in approval as he wedged a knee in between Yusei's thighs. The intrusion was unexpected and he clamped his thighs together as hard as he could, but the soothing warmth spreading throughout his extremities was hard to ignore.

Jack's thumb rubbed small circles at the base of Yusei's spine, easing the knots from the muscles with the skill of someone familiar with the practice. He tried to resist the motion by repeatedly tensing up, but the constant circling left him feeling like jelly in seconds, rendering his actions futile.

The blonde kissed Yusei's forehead and settled himself down, fingers coming to rest in the prince's dark hair with a sigh of agreement. It could have been hours, it may have been seconds, but in no time the king was fast asleep, arms locked in a firm embrace around the smaller form of the Satellite prince. There was nothing Yusei could say or do except lie there, utterly blown away by what Jack had dared to do.

Some part of what happened felt familiar, like a memory or a dream, but he couldn't exactly place it. Maybe it was subconscious desire, or maybe he was too tired to care anymore about the nest Jack cocooned him in. His mind was having too much trouble on settling down on one thought for him to get his facts straight.

The idea of kicking free of Jack's hold and scrambling to dress himself in more clothes did occur to him for a moment, but the dejected look on the king's face from the other night when Yusei tore himself from his arms still haunted him. He couldn't pinpoint why, but something about that face just bothered him. It wasn't sympathy; of that he was very sure, but it wasn't guilt either. There was just something vaguely _off_ about it.

Whatever it was, it likely had something to do with the hurt he felt in his own heart when he saw that face, like a second presence had buried itself in his body and he was feeling the aftershocks of its feelings. Yusei had high doubts that he was possessed, but you didn't feel upset at the same time as someone else without reason.

The sun had risen even higher now, and its light had gone from a soft glow to a stronger ray of illumination. It had to be eight in the morning, at least, but the overwhelming need to sleep some more kept clutching at the fringes of his mind, tempting him back into the dark water like a siren to a drunk sailor. He meant to rest his eyes only, but the Sandman was quick to seal his eyes shut once more with sleep.

_So much for starting the day_, he thought tiredly to himself. The prince decided escaping would cause more trouble than he was interested in, and resigned to letting Jack hold him once more. It wasn't a particularly bad way to fall asleep, he supposed. It just wasn't how he meant to.

.o.

Yubel's ears twitched and turned as her ears followed sounds deeper in the forest, most of them far too quiet for Judai to hear. She snorted impatiently while her master took his sweet time reading the map he had stretched out across her neck, his gloved finger absently following trail lines on the paper. He was in no mood to go wandering through the deeper parts of the forest anymore, at least not without someone with him. The Neo Domino forests demonstrated very clearly to him just how bizarre nature could be, and he wasn't too keen and having another run in with a wolf. _Especially since Yusei's not here to tear it apart_…

He settled for following a path that ran along the outskirts of the forest, and estimated that it would take an hour or so to complete if they walked. He had a whole day to himself and not much to do, so he saw no need in rushing that morning. It was a little chilly and Yubel's breath left trails of steam, but the sun was strong and was already eliminating the frost that desperately clung to the bark of trees. It would be a nice day.

Carefully folding the map he made a clicking sound with his tongue and set Yubel off at a walk, the reins resting at the base of her neck and not in Judai's hands. He tucked the map away inside his coat instead of keeping it in Yubel's saddlebags, wary of the punishment he might receive should he get separated from Yubel when she carried the map. Let it never be said that Judai Yuki doesn't learn from other people's mistakes.

His horse continued to zigzag down a path of her own, keep to the edge of the forest like Judai intended without needing any prompting from him. She continued to amaze him with her insight—there were times when he thought she might even be reading his mind—

Yubel whinnied sharply and balked, startling Judai out of his thoughts. He quickly grabbed the reins and scanned his surroundings, ears open to any unfamiliar sounds. The forest seemed just as empty as it had a moment ago, devoid of activity save the early morning chirping of bugs in the thicket and a few pearly doves above in the boughs of the trees. The king was aware that animals had a better sense of smell than humans did, and he wondered briefly if she was simply identifying an unpleasant smell off in the distance. They were downwind, after all.

"Yubel," the king whispered, gently stroking her neck in an effort to coax her back into a relaxed state, "what's up, girl? You smell something?"

Her flaring nostrils were all the evidence he needed to answer his question, but her eyes no longer contained that wild look that came with fear. Her ears twitched almost irritably at a sound to their right, but her muscles slowly began to relax beneath Judai's legs and she lowered her head back down, seemingly at peace again. Well, for a moment anyways.

She sniffed at the ground like a bloodhound might, but her nose was not searching for a decent patch of grass. Judai strained to keep his hold on the reins, their length not meant to adjust to a horse with their neck stretched out like so. He clamped his knees around her sides and leaned over her neck, sighing to himself as she walked a short ways like this, perfectly at ease.

_I hope no one comes along_… the king thought wistfully, already picturing in his head how ridiculous he would look to someone passing by. _The great king of the Neospace Dominion, and I can't even control my horse. Jack would love that_…

Yubel jerked sharply to the right and strayed off the narrow dirt path, slowly beginning to weave her way through waist high bushes, nose at the ground. Judai attempted to sit up again and pull Yubel's neck with him, but his human strength was no match for her equine power and stubbornness, and so he was forced to stay bent over her neck like a child learning to ride an old pony for the first time. "Yubel, I hope you know what you're doing." The king grumbled irritably. Yubel just snorted at him.

He wasn't entirely sure how long they traveled this way, but it must've been close to half an hour judging by the height of the sun in the sky. The only noticeable change in Yubel's dog-imitation seemed to be the increased fervor with which she followed the scent, her pace slowly picking up and forcing Judai to grip her neck tightly lest he be sent sliding off her back. Her path went from being relatively straight to a winding trail that led them through several bushes and thick undergrowth. Briar attached themselves to Judai's clothes and Yubel's mane, thorns ripping at whatever drew too close and scratching one of the king's hands. After a minute he lost count of the number of twigs that had found their way into his hair and waited for a bird to land on his head and lay eggs on it, his appearance no doubt comparable to that of an ugly looking tree with a freakish nest already set on top of it. The king was ready to just pull Yubel to a stop altogether if he could, but a sudden branch smacked him in the face and sent him tumbling backwards and off his horse.

He cried out as he fell, but the extra noise didn't seem to bother Yubel in the slightest. She disappeared through some brush and her purple mane vanished from sight, leaving Judai sprawled out on the dirt.

_Ow_…

Convincing himself to roll onto his back took a moment, and when he looked up at the sky through the trees, a few leaves floated down and onto his face as if to mock him.

_Of course_.

"Yubel?" Judai called, more out of curiosity than need. She was a good horse, but very easily distracted. He and Johan once chased her into the Satellite territory, she had gone so far, and might've continued onto the next country had Yusei and a band of hunters not been out searching for deer. "Yubel?"

A soft whinny managed to break through the bushes and alerted him to his companion's presence. She sounded like she was standing still.

Nothing was broken, but falling from Yubel had definitely left some bruises. He supposed he should've just been grateful she hadn't been going very fast, or otherwise he'd be sporting some bigger injuries. He allowed himself the opportunity to groan as loudly as he wanted, seriously doubting that anyone was around to hear. He pushed himself back onto his front and shoved himself upward with his arms, wincing briefly as he put weight on a wrist. His legs were sore but did not protest to putting weight on them, and soon he was upright once more, covered in dirt and twigs but relatively unharmed.

From his vantage point he could see Yubel through the brush, her back to him and her nose still pointed at the ground. He carefully pushed through the branches and stepped on to the other side, surprised to see that he was now standing in the meadow where he and Yusei sat for a few hours the night of the storm. The harsh weather had not touched it, the small haven protected by trees from all sides. Yubel stood quietly to the side of a log near the small pond at its center, ears flickering as her owner drew closer. He ran a hand along her side, eyes watching for what had her so captivated.

At first he would've guessed that it was the dead vixen that had drawn her to the meadow, but Yubel liked the smell of dead things and blood about as much as the next horse. The vixen from several days before lay on her side, eyes wide and frozen in shock. Flies settled all around her and maggots gnawed at all the gaps of exposed flesh that were available. The stench alone was enough to keep Judai away, never mind the sight of her torn body, and he couldn't begin to fathom why Yubel was _staring_ so intensely at her body like something was supposed to happen.

Then he saw the two heads poking up out of the grass.

.o.

No one had ever really touched his ears before outside of Jack, and he had a sneaking suspicion that was who was touching his ears right then. He wasn't using his tongue this time, much to the prince's relief, but it still felt very strange to have the pad of his finger trace the cartilage every so slowly. The feeling was a mix between arousing and irritating, as his body had no way of knowing whether or not Jack was doing it to sate his curiosity or to fulfill his obnoxious desire to be sensual around Yusei. Decidedly, the raven wasn't enjoying it all, and he shook his head to dislodge the king's hand.

His sapphires cut the air as he glowered at Jack, whose forehead rested against the prince's. Yusei's sleepiness preventing him from feeling overly concerned about the short distance between their faces. He growled as softly as he could, "Can I help you?"

"I was just admiring, Yusei. No need to get upset." Jack replied haughtily, eyes gleaming with mischievousness. Clearly he had been awake for some time. "I was going to say that you have the perfect ears for earrings. You'd pull off a cartilage ring very well. Yes, right," two fingers clamped onto the prince's ear, "here."

"I'm not getting earrings, Jack." The prince groaned. "And if you're the one who's going to find them attractive, then that's all the reason _not_ to get them." Yusei sighed heavily and turned his body away from Jack's, tugging the blankets from the blonde's body to wrap around his own.

"But you have such wonderful ears," the king purred softly. "So soft and delicate—"

Yusei sent an elbow backwards, cutting off the obnoxious blonde. "Go "admire" someone that actually wants it and leave me alone."

"No." Came his curt response. Yusei just groaned and pulled the sheets around his head like a hood, but Jack easily yanked the hood back down and leaned over the small prince, mouth against his flushed ear. "Why find someone else when I can get you to _want me_ to admire you?"

"I don't need your admiration to live a fulfilling life, Jack," Yusei snapped, shoving the king away from him. "The sooner you understand this, the sooner we can end this game."

A shadow fell over the prince and he glanced up to see the king straddling his hips, the sunlight casting one giant shadow across his front. Yusei frowned and attempted to scoot backwards, not at all pleased with being unable to see Jack's face. His facial expressions were very telling, and to suddenly lose that advantage made the prince feel outnumbered. Jack leaned over very slowly, almost to the point that the blonde tendrils that hung down from either side of his head were tickling Yusei's face. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," he murmured with a devious smile. "I wonder if you need to start sleeping on my side…"

Yusei cast half lidded eyes up at Jack, rolling his hips so that he could lay flat on his back with the larger teen over him. The king responded in turn, eagerly coming closer and pressing their bodies together in whatever way he could. "You know what I think?" The prince whispered, lowering his voice into a more smoky register. The blonde shook his head lightly, but he seemed very intrigued to hear what Yusei would have to say. The raven lifted a hand up to Jack's face, fingers hesitantly brushing the creamy skin. The king leaned into the touch as if to assure him it was fine, and he closed his eyes happily as the boy beneath him thumbed his lower lip and smoothed the side of his face.

"What?" Jack asked quietly, voice almost nonexistent. He opened his lilac gaze on the celestial sapphires that stared up at him. "What do you think?"

"I think…"

Jack squealed like a stuck pig as Yusei used the same hand he had on the king's face to pull on a tendril of blonde hair, tearing the king down from his throne atop the prince and onto the floor besides him. As the fallen king ferociously rubbed the side of his head in pain the victorious prince sat up and glared down at him sharply. "I think you need to keep you hands to yourself is what I think."

Jack peeked at him through his gold bangs, clearly irritated about his hair being pulled like they were little kids. "That was a cheap shot."

"And so was your decision to threaten the Satellite with not agreeing to the treaty unless I married you, so I think we're about even, now." He tossed the blankets from his body and onto Jack, who remained where he was on the ground, a tempered look in his eyes. Figuring that the message had gotten across, the Satellite prince departed for the bathroom and left the room.

.o.

Jack could only sit helplessly as he watched Yusei disappear through the door to his dressing room. As soon as the prince was out of ear shot he threw himself back down on the ground in frustration and growled to no one in particular.

_Damn this boy! Why is it whenever I try to formulate a plan, it always seems to fall apart whenever I come near him? What is it about him that makes me abandon logic and jump the gun?_

It was maddening beyond all belief, especially since Yusei didn't even mean to do it. The boy's intoxicating aura just seemed to naturally throw nature out of balance with his mere presence. God save them all should the prince ever discover what an effect he had on everyone.

_Just calm down, Jack. Today was supposed to be a day for bonding. Think of something you both can do that's fun_…

The first idea that came to mind was a good idea, yes, but given how well Yusei responded to any sort of physical affection (or more specifically, physical affection from him) Jack quickly threw out the plan to visit a hot spring. It would take some time before Yusei felt comfortable being naked around him… _Although a game of strip chess might make him get over it_. He made a mental note to file that idea away for later use. Yusei would hate the concept of it, but he wouldn't back down to a challenge that he could participate in.

_Okay, okay, think. Yusei's ankle is still sore, so we can't be running around all over the place. Dueling requires the ability to remain standing, and he doesn't have that at the moment…I don't think he wants to go trekking through the forest anymore, although I'll have to ask…hunting maybe? Judai keeps bragging about how good he is—I'd like to see the proof of that, although he took down a wolf with his bare hands, so I imagine it's true…damn, get back on topic. Okay…what has he done that he's shown interest in?_

Jack recalled the food fight from the other day and how at ease the three of them had been ducking and dodging the greasy projectiles. Yusei especially seemed to get a kick out of it, and he hit Jack and Judai twice the amount of times they were hitting them. Another food fight was out of the question (as he still wasn't sure what upset Yusei so much the last time and caused him to go on a cleaning spree) but maybe…archery? He hunted, after all. Surely he'd enjoy that, right?

_I suppose this is what I get for not spending enough time with him_…

Yusei hadn't seen the town, either. Granted, Judai had told Jack that Yusei wanted all three of them to go into town together, but that could be done at another time. _Or never_.

Sighing to himself, the king forced his body up and climbed to a stand, stretching his long, alabaster limbs with a satisfying crack. He could hear movement in the other room, and after a moment of contemplation, decided that Yusei probably wasn't ready to see him parading around naked. He had been counting on Yusei to be utterly exhausted earlier that morning when he removed his pants and went to go sleep on the floor besides him, and to his amazement, the prince not once ever seemed to notice that Jack wasn't wearing anything. Don't get him wrong—he would love it if Yusei showed some appreciation for what heaven bestowed upon him, but pulling small pranks like that on the little raven never got old.

He pulled his pants back on in disappointment before venturing over to the balcony and throwing open the doors, the wash of cool air lightly chilling his skin and awakening his senses. He took a deep breath of it in, noting all the whispers of other fragrances that floated in on the wind and smiling appreciatively. It must've been a major delivery day for the bakeries, because the air was alight with the gold scent of grain and smoke.

_I think I know where I want to stop first_…

"Jack?"

The king didn't bat an eye when he saw the small monarch standing behind him, the boy having no doubt watched him. A twinge of regret shot through his mind but he squashed it down. He wanted Yusei to see moments like this—needed him to see this. Jack didn't like others peering in on the private aspects of his life, but he reminded himself that it was _he_ who wanted Yusei to spend the rest of his life with him. Private it or not, he couldn't shut everyone out.

"Get some clothes on—nothing too flashy," Jack ordered, taking another moment to stretch when his back felt like it still had a kink in it. "We're heading out."

.o.

He didn't like the color white at all, but it was odd to see the king in another color besides _white_.

Yusei did as Jack said (after refusing to do so until the king said "please") and found some of his hunting clothes. He didn't own too many clothes with bright colors anyways, and had only worn his one set of formal attire to the Satellite-Neo Domino Reunification banquet at the request of his parents to look nice. _Yet another commodity wasted on something that didn't matter, just like our vegetable stock_… Most of his normal attire consisted of washed out blues and blacks and the occasional amber, but he only ever wore it when he wasn't working and needed to be presentable. The majority of the time he was decked out in full brown and black, and the clothes weren't tailored to look fancy or elaborate.

They were tailored for mud.

As a community that depended on almost constant hunting and gathering, the opportunity to dress nicely almost never came. With every pair of hands needed to keep the village thriving, no one ever bothered to import fabric that was lighter than maroon or forest green, and not a coin was ever shed to buy velvet or silk, as many saw it pointless to buy _more_ clothes for the summer when the solution was simply to wear less. Mud was abundant in the Satellite, too, the constant shade of the trees making it difficult for the sun to shine through and dry up the ground. Dresses generally stopped at the calf to keep them from dragging across the wet soil, the complete opposite of how dresses were worn in Neo Domino. Most days people either went barefoot and simply washed their feet whenever they entered a house, or they owned boots that almost came up to their thighs to keep the knees of their pants from wearing out so quickly.

There was only one article of clothing in the entire Satellite territory that was lightly shaded, and it belonged to Yusei's mother, the queen. She owned the only pale dress that came to her ankles, the fabric a rare but pleasing sky blue color. It was her favorite dress, and once or twice Yusei had caught her donning it in her room when she thought no one was looking. The poor thing had been so embarrassed to be caught wearing it, a reminder of her heritage as someone who did not originate from the Satellite. Yusei had smiled and led her in a short dance, promising to never tell his father. It had saddened him to see his mother look so upset, as he knew she was not the vain type. When she wasn't needed for the more official duties of the queen, she was out tending to the many gardens around the village, dress soaked in mud and hands buried in the soil. Hakase was no pushover either—he enjoyed carpentry and regularly was out helping to repair the houses and huts, or rebuilding new parts for wagons and toys for children.

Yusei supposed that his mother was worried about looking weak around others for wearing a lightly colored dress, but no one in the Satellite would look down upon a dress that was the color of the sky.

The sky was open and boundless, and it stood over everyone's head's equally. When life's troubles started to become too much, the sky always represented the equality that all mortals shared; that everyone lived and died, everyone faced pain, and yet the sky did not judge. It was a strange concept to explain, and Yusei had always recognized it as more of a feeling one carried in his or her heart than a philosophy that could be dictated to the people. It was the ethic of the Satellite, one that was demonstrated every day by the blurred lines between the monarchy and the people. When Yusei's mother wore that dress, no one scorned her for it. It was a symbol of hope. He wished at the moment that he could see that dress again, and dance with his mother in the bedroom like he had so many years ago. He needed a little hope right now.

Blue—the color of hope. White…white deserved the death penalty.

Or, at least that's what he _had_ believed.

When you lived a life that require constant work just to stay alive, constant digging in the ground in the hopes of digging up a shred of life from the earth that you could consume, seeing someone parade through your village in white would only serve to do one thing: remind you that there are others more fortunate than you.

People who could afford to wear white could afford to pay for their food and not dig it up themselves. People who could afford white could afford a good home that didn't let in water during the rainy season. If they could afford a good home like that, it also meant that they could afford servants to keep it clean so they never worried about the hems or their trousers or dresses getting soiled. If they could afford that, then they were likely _really_ damn rich.

And if they were really damn rich, then they probably couldn't even tell you what it meant to be alive because they had no concept of suffering.

He felt all of this when he saw Jack's face for the first time, the foreign airs of the man only accentuated by his uncommon blond hair and lilac eyes, complete with an ensemble of pearly _white_. How badly he wanted to punch him in the face, to kick him in the stomach and shove his face in the dirt so he understood what pain meant. That evening had continuously taken turns for the worse, from Jack daring to kiss his hand—a hand that had spent that very same morning working to free a wagon from the mud—to trying to bribe him at dinner with wealth in exchange for his compliance. It had sickened him to his core, that dance with the devil. That straying from the path into true sin. All of it—wretched.

And then, as if to make him feel even worse about his predicament, Mikage had to tell him about Jack's parents—about his _loss_. His pain. About the man he once was but now couldn't _afford_ to show because just hurt too damn much.

So when Yusei wandered outside that morning to the stables and saw Jack standing there wearing deep grays and soft purples, pale hands gently stroking the nose of his monstrously large horse, he didn't know what to say. All he could think was, _You're supposed to be the man in white_.

"Yusei?"

The prince jumped at the sound of his voice, suddenly noticing that Jack was looking up at him curiously and had one hand on his knee, squeezing it gently as if in reassurance. He looked away as soon as the king was aware he had his attention, fingers threading through Stardust's mane. "Sorry," tumbled from his mouth without thought.

"You looked like you were contemplating the meaning of life there, for a moment." The king said casually, although it was clear he thought something was up with Yusei. "Ready to go?"

"Yes," the prince replied, his effort to switch from whatever strange mood he had worked himself up about into cheerfulness far more difficult than usual. He was getting soft—a monarch shouldn't need time to prepare a poker face. _Jack's still touching my leg_…

Jack smiled genuinely, nearly frightening Yusei off his horse at the realness of the expression. _You wouldn't make that face if you were wearing white… Why aren't you wearing white?_ "Good," he said firmly, kissing Yusei's leg before walking away to his own horse. The prince rubbed the spot where his lips had touched, the impression left behind making his skin tingle uncomfortably.

_Just ignore it_, he thought. Yusei glanced at the king. "Where are we going?"

His grin was cheeky, and he threw his hands up in the air dramatically as if for emphasis. "To procure a breakfast fit for a king, good Sir Yusei!" Then he laughed, spurring his horse to leave while Yusei picked his jaw up off the ground. "Hope you can keep up!"

Jack raced down the path and out to the front of the palace, leading the charge out of the palace walls and through the gate. Yusei was right on his heels, using the trail of laughter coming from the blonde king as a guide.

Today was going to be different.

.o.

Jack had led Yusei through what he presumed was the wealthier part of town, cantering his large horse through the mostly empty streets until they started to happen up more people. Yusei tried to take in the sights as they sped by, noting the differences in architecture and the placement of homes. Everything felt rather squished in his opinion, like the entire city was a cake and homes had to be layered. It was interesting to see two story homes, though. It took architectural ingenuity and genius to build the Satellite castle, and when he saw the Neo Domino palace for the first time, it made his home look like a model in comparison. The huts around the village in the Satellite were one story homes and were spread out so that families could keep small gardens or chicken pens near their property. In the wealthier part of Neo Domino, some people had courtyards to keep a horse or two and possibly a carriage, but in the poorer part of town there was no separation between the houses. Yusei just couldn't picture living in such close proximity to anyone like that, but then again, the houses in Neo Domino didn't look like the slightest wind would carry them away, either.

Jack, who had slowed Red Demon to a walk, glanced over his shoulder at the lagging prince. Yusei barely caught his eye, too distracted by the strange set up of this one house. Apparently Jack had meant for him to either catch up or give an explanation, because the blonde turned his horse around and pulled up in between the prince and the house. "One would think that you'd never seen a house before."

Yusei frowned at the intrusion and straightened himself out to look forward again, unappreciative of the blonde's tone. "Just because you don't have an appreciation for architecture doesn't mean other people don't."

The king looked back at the house. "It's not that impressive, Yusei."

"No, but it is different." _Surely you of all people would see the importance of noticing differences in things?_

Today must not have been a day for intellect, because the concept went over Jack's head. _Not that that's surprising_… He stared at Yusei like he had three heads. "Okay…"

_Who am I kidding? Jack never saw the rest of the village. He has no idea just how poor the Satellite is—how hard we fight to hold ourselves together. Ugh…but what point is there in telling him about our problems? He won't care_.

"Never mind," Yusei said curtly, closing the conversation off. _I would like to get some hands on some of these house's blueprints, though. The people back home would have a heyday if they got their hands on those_. "So where are we headed, anyways?"

Jack craned his head to get a better look at the prince's face, a strange look in his eyes. Yusei tried to ignore it, that odd feeling from the night before on the balcony returning. _Don't look at me like that!_ "Are you feeling all right, Yusei?"

_Poker face, poker face_… "Of course not—I'm starving." Yusei stated directly, looking right into Jack's eyes. The sudden forwardness shocked him for a moment, but the prince ended his comment with a wry smile. "If you hadn't been so busy sitting on me earlier, we could've gotten breakfast before leaving."

It wasn't the most attractive flirting he could've done, but Jack seemed appreciative of the attempt. Yusei really hadn't been shooting for anything serious, but the sudden turn appeared to have taken the king's mind off the subject, and that was all he wanted. It was a last resort attempt though, and he wouldn't try again unless he needed it. Still, it had the desired effect. The odd look on the blonde's face leveled out into a relaxed smile and a slight gleam of deviousness shone in his eyes. The king sat up straight up and let a small gap of silence pass between them, the mood relaxed until he opened his mouth again. "It's not my fault you're so cute."

_What_—Yusei's head shot to the side to stare incredulously at Jack, who tried to maintain a serious look in his eyes as he stared straight ahead but betrayed his satisfaction with a twisted grin. The prince looked away when he felt the heat rise in his face, but the king caught the redness of his ears.

"Are you _blushing_?"

"No!"

"Yes, you are! Look this way."

"_No!_"

Jack nudged Red Demon closer to Stardust in the attempt to turn Yusei's head towards him. "You're terrible liar, Yusei."

"Ack!" Yusei shrieked as the cool hand touched his skin, not intending to sound-unmanly but appearing so regardless. He spurred Stardust in a short canter to get him out of Jack's reach, the king laughing his hysterically at his meek escape. His heart pounded so violently in his chest that it hurt, and he wanted it to stop. _This was _not_ where I meant for this go!_

An arm suddenly wrapped itself around his waist, but no amount of jumping in the seat of Stardust's saddle would free him from that. He turned his face away when Jack leaned over from Red Demon, but his ear was still open to all that spilled from Jack's lips. "You can run all you like, Yusei. But there's no hiding from me."

Yusei shuddered at the warm air against his face. _Why does it sound like he means something else?_

The man kissed his cheek and let go, smirking as he sped up and took the lead again, his slender back to Yusei. "Now how about we go find that breakfast before you eat someone."

Yusei let Stardust continue walking at his own pace, his eyes still glued to the back of Jack's head. _I don't think I can do this_…

.o.

.o.

**Y: _Jack._**

**J: _Yusei_.**

**Y: _I came._**

**J: _To this city?_**

**Y: _In my pants._**

**J: _Oh, God what is wrong with_—wait, no you didn't! You did nothing in this chapter, you lazy barve! I had to do all the work! And you didn't even appreciate it!**

**Y: XD**

**Dialogue (mostly) by LittleKuriboh.**

**At first I had been a little worried about Jack's POV's and how they might be out of character for him, but then I remembered all the other times he's been portrayed, both by Selene Nightshade and myself, and realized that deep down he's kind of a sucker for something romantic. He just can't get past the part where he needs to refrain from being a perv to two seconds. XD**

**I rewrote this chapter so many times….I have another file where I'm keeping all the extra pages I wrote for this chapter. 9 pages of writing were taken out and replaced with other stuff. 9 pages! Oh my lord…**

**Regality is currently 130 pages.**


	11. Promised Day - Part One

**So….a lot has happened since I last updated. But I won't bore you all with the details.**

**However, I regret to inform you that my old computer died in my arms. I held it so that I could check to see what was the problem (as it wasn't starting up) flipped a switch while it was still plugged in, and then listened to it charge up. Had I not flipped the switch back, the computer would've likely exploded—and in my arms, no less. The hard drive was rescued, but the rest of it is gone for good. My computer was about 7 years old when it finally died. Old friend, you shall be missed.**

**And needless to say, that's the last time I will ever do something like that.**

**On the bright side of things, I have a laptop that I am borrowing for now so that I may continue to write.**

**This was an interesting chapter to write, as I wrote a good deal of it during school, this borrowed laptop always carefully turned away from the other students so they couldn't see. Oh, I for the day when people can write yaoi fan fiction freely and without being crucified. It's so funny to see the vast difference between those who **_**solely**_** read it and those who **_**write it**_**. A friend of mine asked me if I read fan fiction, which I proudly answered with a yes. I asked her if she wrote any, and she shook her head with embarrassment almost and said **_**of course not**_**.**

**Originally this was intended to be the second half of another two-part chapter, but now it has been extended to three…kinda like Peter Jackson's **_**The Hobbit**_**.**

**Warnings: Hand holding, dirty dreams, and an epic fail.**

**Day 89. (Still)**

Chapter 16: The Promised Day –Part One

Jack glanced back the beautiful raven haired prince as they crested the hill, violet eyes sweeping up from his worn boots to his tan face, which was currently looking off to the side and carefully chewing one of the sweet pastries the blonde king had purchased almost an hour ago. Judging by how large the bulge in the paper sack from the bakery was and the minimal bites taken from the very top, Yusei had only started eating a few minutes ago. The prince hadn't been able to hide the growling of his stomach as they made their way through town, although judging by the look on his face he clearly wished that he could. He'd been rather subdued at the bakery, too, glancing at the baked goods with what Jack could only interpret as shame.

Concerned by his lover's upset, the king had quietly pulled him to the side and asked if he was all right. Yusei had gently shook his head no and said he wasn't used to being hungry in the morning, to which Jack then pondered if Yusei was one of those people was concerned about their girth. The prince had proven to be very fit, though, which only caused more confusion for the king. _It's not like he's lazy…one doesn't get such a beautiful set of pectorals or abdominal muscles by lounging about all day_. In the end the quiet prince admitted that he didn't normally eat breakfast in the morning, and asked Jack to pick what he liked while the raven darted off to purchase apples for the horses.

The king came to the conclusion that either Yusei wasn't used to being spoiled that much, was incredibly frugal, or his parents had a very strict diet regimen that they were keeping their son to. If the lack of dinner he consumed was any indication, the last part was likely true. Either way, Jack hadn't seen the harm in buying some of the more prized goods in the store as a surprise, aware that occasionally rewarding one's self was beneficial to the mind and thinking that after all Yusei had been through as a result of coming to Neo Domino, the prince deserved to be a bit spoiled.

Besides, he would make sure to keep the small prince in top physical condition, and once they married, the list of physical activities they could do together would only increase in length.

_Our wedding night cannot come soon enough_, he had thought to himself as he stepped outside, quick to mount Red Demon before his nether regions became an issue. Yusei had returned from the apple stand soon after that, a small but brilliant smile on his face from having talked to the little old lady who owned it, no doubt. Matilda was quite a character for her age. After treating their steeds to two red apples, the prince climbed up on Stardust and asked where they were going with the forcibly subdued eagerness of a young preteen excited to go somewhere but afraid to look childish in his behavior. Jack had laughed good naturedly at the cute pretext Yusei was giving and handed him the paper bag with their breakfast inside, mildly anxious to see the prince open it.

To his delight, Yusei did. But the seconds following reminded the blonde very much of the sheer uselessness he had felt in the forest when the raven kept screaming for him and he couldn't find him. Instead of being stunned into a slight silence and blushing softly at Jack's thoughtfulness for seeing through his ruse and getting him something of quality, the prince merely gave a curt nod and closed the bag again, stowing it in a saddlebag. The look on Yusei's face had shifted from something lighthearted and hopeful to a grimace of complete and total disappointment, and he showed the same stilted enthusiasm when Jack said they were going to practice archery.

The blonde had let Yusei lead the way out of town, unable to think much beyond the fact that he had read the prince wrong and disappointed him. _A lot_.

It had been a bit of blow to his ego, to be honest. Jack had never been so floored in his life before. He could already hear in the back of his head Seto Kaiba's raspy laugh, the man's voice permanently fixed into a mocking tone of voice. _The bastard_.

Of course, the situation leading up to Jack's…screw up…was misleading in its own right. Judging by the way the prince had ogled at the building, one would've been lead to believe that the prince felt he was about to be lead into someplace magical.

The teen had been utterly blown away by the bakery, a small building with two chimneys and chipped red paint, and had taken what seemed like an hour to simply stare at in awe. Jack hadn't gotten a good look at the rest of the Satellite, so he could only surmise that the buildings were different in Neo Domino. He wasn't bothered by Yusei's staring at first, and was glad to have impressed him with something (finally), but the longer he had let the prince stand there the more Yusei slipped away from the real world and back into whatever strange recesses of his mind that he liked hide in. He wouldn't have known what Yusei was doing if he hadn't seen him observing the other buildings in town.

The king glanced back again at Yusei, discreet in his stare as the prince was looking forward now. The strudel in his hand was only half eaten, the side where Yusei had taken his bites very linear and straight, the cut more clinical than the delicious pastry deserved. It was supposed to be savored, true, but anyone worth their salt didn't eat Neo Domino strudels so…dispassionately. Jack couldn't recall ever seeing anyone leave a strudel half eaten, or if they had, it wasn't left there for long.

Jack just shook his head to himself. Yusei looked like he had wanted to eat the bakery itself more than the food inside it, if his staring was anything to go by.

_No_…

When Yusei looked at the bakery, he wasn't just looking at it. He was looking _through it_. Deconstructing it. Peeling the paneling off one board at a time, examining the nails and testing the strength of the wood. Tapping the glass and feeling the hinges of the doors. Pushing the support beams and measuring the rafters. He was on the ground and testing the foundation, crawling through the mud beneath it and packing it for firmness. Thinking of a new type of wood to use for the outside, considering the weight of the stones to use for the chimney. He was debating expanding on the windows, repositioning the doors. He was taking it apart and rebuilding it into something _better_.

Now that he reflected upon it, Yusei seemed to do that with everything. It didn't matter if it was equipment, or the stables, or even the rooms within the palace. The raven analyzed everything.

It was skill set that was not useful for combat, or strategic offense, or for planning war. It was only good for planning a city layout, for preparing a better wall, or designing the structure of a building. It was utterly useless outside of that.

And Jack hated him for it. Hated, and _loved_ him for it.

Because this teenager—this young, ignorant, green, teenager had a skill set he _didn't_ want to put to use in a world of war. Just a world of peace.

_The ultimate goal of all kings…Yusei, you've set the stage again for yet another great challenge. I will fight for a thousand years if it is a means to bring you peace…and when I do, you can lead the world from there, with me at your side. I will give you that world if you stay_...

The king couldn't contemplate a better scenario for a monarch than that, the sheer balance of their roles and skills almost overwhelming. The utter simplicity of the ying-and-yang philosophy they had built for themselves. It made him want to laugh. He, a white king with an iron rule and a merciless disposition in battle. Yusei, a dark queen with the determined meddle required of someone resisting a siege. Dark and light, blood and tears, heart and heart. It was perhaps the most beautiful concept the king had ever composed.

_The story of us_…

"What are you smirking about?" Yusei inquired, pulling his horse up alongside Red Demon. His gaze was so full of determined questioning Jack wanted to laugh even more and kiss the raven. He was so…complete. Not pure in the sense of innocence, nor whole in the sense of the perfect balance between logic and emotion. But, something about him just felt…complete.

Or perhaps it was _he_ that felt complete, now.

Jack allowed for his smirk to grow stronger and glanced back over at the younger man, unafraid to show him this side of himself. _You make me unafraid. You challenge me to be better_. Yusei looked at him with suspicion, but Jack simply chuckled. "I was just letting my mind drift—it's my fall back face, if you will."

"What? To look lecherous?"

It was meant to be a bite, but the little kitten had yet to learn that others bit back. _Still, you are acting a bit braver today. I'd love to find out why_… Jack leered again and took Yusei's hand, which was currently holding the half-eaten strudel, and took a larger bite out of it. The resulting look left the strudel looking much more loved and appreciated.

"Ugh—Jack!" Yusei snapped, yanking his hand away as swiftly as possible. The king had intended to lick some of the apple filling from off of Yusei's hand, but the prince had moved too fast for him and was now wiping his hand off on his pants. "There's plenty more in the bag. Get your own."

"But it wouldn't have been the same," Jack pouted intentionally, loving the growing look of irritation on Yusei's face.

The prince took the bait like clockwork. "_Really?_" he growled. "_Just how?_"

"Because then I wouldn't have been sharing it with you…" Jack said, free hand already leaning on the back of Stardust's saddle to trap the prince and keep them together. Yusei squirmed and leaned away from Jack as far as he could when the king moved in close to his face, careful to angle his head and neck away from the blonde's mouth to the best of his abilities. Jack could've reached him easily, but settled for licking Yusei's neck instead and eliciting a none-so-manly shriek from him that made him automatically sit up straight in the saddle to wipe his neck clear.

_I love automatic reactions_…

It was worth it, because after he kissed the corner of Yusei's mouth while the prince was so clearly off guard it made him pause and stare straight ahead, nonplussed and unsure as to how to react. Jack simply laughed again at his uncertainty and nudged his steed into a faster pace to give Yusei a bit of breathing room to recover. He had appreciated Yusei's behavior when he was drunk, true, but this half-hearted, shy resistance was a thousand times better.

_Making love to you will be like fulfilling a fantasy. A fantasy I don't ever want to end_…

.o.

"Do you mind?" Yusei snapped when he felt a hand stroke his thigh, head jerking back to look down at the blonde king. It was bad enough the king's behavior had been less appropriate on their way to the archery field, and the long ride had left Yusei's bad ankle _throbbing_. He had initially been enthusiastic about the idea of showing Jack up in archery, and it had taken all of his might to disguise his excitement from the king—excitement over the fact that Jack would be thoroughly humiliated by the Satellite prince. But now all he longed for was a chance to sit still atop of something that wasn't moving, victory be damned.

Or to be around anything without the capacity to speak.

"I was just admiring," the king huffed. "There's no need to be fussy."

Fussy? He thought the prince was being _fussy?_ Yusei would've kicked the blonde bastard if he had been standing near his good leg. "Can you go admire someone else? I want to get down and you holding my leg isn't helping." For emphasis, Yusei gave his leg a small shake to dislodge the wandering hand.

"I don't need you injuring your leg even further by jumping off a _horse_," Jack growled impatiently. "So swing both your legs over and I'll lift you off."

"Back off, Jack," the prince hissed warningly. His glare only increased in potency when the king had the nerve to step back and look like he didn't care of Yusei got hurt. The prince considered lobbing the bag of pastries at Jack but thought better of wasting good food on him. With a small huff of his own the prince leaned over and whispered in Stardust's ear, the horse practically nodding in understanding before he slowly kneeled down and eliminated the drop between Yusei's feet and the ground. With a careful twist of his body he swung himself off and rose from Stardust's back as if he had merely stood up from a chair.

Then he extended his arms out from his sides and did a short, lopsided bow, grumbling loudly enough for the king to hear. "_Ta-da_."

To his surprise, Jack didn't storm off in anger over having been pushed away, but instead drew close again and ruffled Yusei's hair. The gesture itself was unexpected and for a moment Yusei wondered what happened to Jack and who he had been replaced with, but Jack's signature irritation was still noticeable in the mild harshness of how he tossed the prince's hair. If anything, the gesture said "I understand, but I still don't like it".

_Glad to see that some things never change_.

After that Jack went to fuss with the wraps on the back of Red Demon's saddle, no doubt the bows and quivers. Since there were a few posts erected alongside the field, Yusei wandered over with Stardust and removed his companion's tack, easing his burden for the time being. The prince figured that Jack would have a cow once he saw, but Yusei didn't care. Stardust wouldn't run away even if he smelled a predator.

Jack finally removed the equipment from the saddle and laid it down before he led Red Demon to the hitching post where Stardust's tack rested. The large stallion quickly noted that his traveling friend was missing and looked around for him, gaze caught staring longingly at the edge of the forest where Stardust grazed.

Jack lightly swatted Red Demon's shoulder. "Don't even think about it."

Yusei frowned up at the king from his resting spot on the ground against the post. "Think about what?"

"Being allowed to roam without a rope. You give Demon the chance, he'll take off into the sunset and that'll be all she wrote."

The thought of Jack chasing after his horse in a panic brought a slight smile to Yusei's face. "Then perhaps he needs a bit more training."

The blonde gave a look that suggested Yusei was insane. "If you want to try, be my guest. But don't expect to be in one piece afterwards."

"I don't know, Jack," Yusei smirked, "Do you really want to risk your horse being more loyal to me than you?"

Now it was Jack's turn to leer, and he looked mildly sadistic when he did. "That horse is loyal to no one but himself. He'd likely be the first horse to kill for sport if you gave him the chance. Ourselves included."

And Jack felt safe riding him? The Satellite prince wasn't quite sure how to feel about that, and he wondered who was the crazier of the two: the king who knowingly rode a murderous horse, or the prince who kept knowingly sleeping in the same bed as him. It felt like a tie, really.

Feeling that the prince was likely shocked into silence, Jack strode out onto the archery field to pick up some of the toppled stands used as targets. They were rather haphazardly constructed crates with crudely painted bullseyes on them, and most of them looked mottled with holes and moss, the wood rotted. It was as if they never saw any use, really. And who used crates as targets, anyway? Last time Yusei checked, straw was far easier to pry the arrows from, and a bit cheaper to use, as well. Then again, straw wouldn't resist the elements nearly as well as wooden crates might, and with the ridiculous distance between the archery field and castle, it was probably more manageable having targets that required less attending to. _But still_…

"Jack? Why on earth is the archery field all the way out here?"

The king finished setting up the targets and returned to Yusei's side to pull out the bows. "A couple reasons, actually. While archery is important, my ancestors found it more prudent to keep the farmer's fields closer to home so that they had a bit more protection. We can replace crates faster than food."

"So what's the other reason?"

Jack made a face. "The straw targets had a habit of…wandering off, you could say, when we left them near the farmland. It was too tedious to keep bringing them back inside the walls of the castle, so we eliminated the need to steal the straw altogether by placing the field all the way out here, and used to old wood for the targets so we didn't cut down any more trees."

"How very frugal of you."

"The Atlas family is not frugal, my dear Yusei," said the king as he rose to his feet. A very devious grin spread across his face. "Just lethargic."

_Of course_… "That would explain your constant and unjustifiable complaining."

If Yusei had been anyone else, Jack probably would've shot him straight between his eyes right then and there, if the look on his face was anything to go by. But in true Jack Atlas fashion, he managed to get the last word in. "And you wonder why I refuse to abide by your "no touching" policy when we're in bed together."

The prince kicked him in the shin.

.o.

Yusei wondered what it would take to set Jack's horse and a killing spree and have Red Demon target himself, because at the moment his overconfidence in his skills was going to be the death of him.

Jack lowered the empty bow and squinted his eyes as he looked out across the field at the farthest target. His eyesight was a bit lacking, as he had told Yusei before, and so the targets were a bit of blur to him. If the king wanted to know whether or not he hit dead center again he'd have to go and check for himself, but the pride of the Satellite hunters didn't have to move an inch to tell that Jack had hit his mark—again.

Ten arrows riddled the front of the target, five in the dead center, two just along the side of the red circle, and three that went wide and hit other various parts of the board. Overall, it wasn't bad, and in comparison to the shots Yusei had been making for the past hour, it was amazing. The prince hadn't expected the king's pale, nimble fingers capable of much more than writing elegantly, his skin unblemished and free of scars. But like he had in many things, the blonde man proved himself to be a bit more capable than he once thought and fired his arrows very precisely, constantly assuming the correct footwork and arm positions necessary to get a good aim. And like always, once he was finished emptying his quiver of arrows, he turned smugly to the raven haired prince and gestured for him to go.

"I think I'm starting to understand why you didn't have many friends growing up." Yusei grumbled, less than willing to pick up the bow again. It was a very juvenile thing to say, but to be honest, he _was _feeling a little juvenile at the moment.

Jack was in too good a mood to let any of Yusei's snide remarks get to him, and happily played along with his bruised ego, making pouty faces in mockery of the prince's disappointment. Yusei thought back to his life up until that point, and wondered what he had done to deserve the punishment of being stuck with the king of Neo Domino. Nothing came to mind.

_No, I think I died a long time ago, and this is my eternal punishment. I must've been the most despicable person while I was alive, because I wouldn't wish this hell on anyone_.

"I think my little prince needs a nap." He chuckled quietly to himself when the raven's head snapped up to look at him, a twisted smirk on his lips, "My arms are always available, you know."

Yusei punched the king's arm as he dared to walk past a little too closely. "I'm not _your_ anything, Jack."

The blonde rolled eyes. "Give it time, Yusei. You'll see." He patted the prince's arm as he moved past before giving him a gentle nudge towards the targets. "Come on—your turn."

The prince irritably swatted Jack's hand away before carefully kneeling to scoop up his bow and quiver from the ground again. It felt awkward to kneel to pick up something that wasn't heavy, but living with Jack taught him to be more careful about what he left exposed in certain situations. Horseback riding, for one. The prince no longer dismounted with his back exposed, having been surprised far too many times by the king and his wandering hands. How he changed was another. While living on his own, or at least in his own room, he often slept nude and would lounge about his room in the same manner. When he got dressed, or changed from one outfit to the next, he regularly stripped down to nothing before putting the other clothes on. Now he changed one item at a time, leaving little time for his body to be exposed. Bending over to retrieve fallen items was yet another habit of his that he took to mending, far too aware of the vulnerability that the position put him.

Jack was also very open about his staring at Yusei's body. At that point, denying him a good view of his rear was just a method of rebellion. Whether or not it worked was another story, but the prince got some personal satisfaction out of it, so he wasn't going to stop.

Yusei stepped over and onto the path of another target, not wanting his shots to be confused with Jack's. Their system was that they shot all their arrows, then the next person went, then they both retrieved their arrows at the same time. Yusei took a moment to check his footwork, clenching his teeth a few times when his ankle twinged. Jack didn't seem to notice that his ankle was on the verge of giving out, and the prince intended to keep it that way. The sad look that came to the king's eyes whenever he saw Yusei limping was far too strange for him to handle at the moment. Satisfied that he wouldn't suddenly collapse, the raven raised his arms and angled the bow and arrow at the center of the target, adjusting the path of the arrow to account for the light wind that blew at a diagonal across the field. Once he was set, he drew the string back a bit farther and released the deadly weapon.

Like clockwork, it soared past its target and landed somewhere in the grass behind it.

"I think—"

Yusei now wished he had the pastries in hand so that he could lob them at the king. "_Shut up_, Blondie."

"…what?"

"You heard me," Yusei growled, wheeling about to face the king, "I said—"

On Jack's face was perhaps the strangest look he had made yet, a combination of disbelief, astonishment, and mild appreciation. It made for a picture of wide eyes, raised eyebrows, and an uncertain smile that wavered on the edge between growing or hiding. "Is that your pet name for me when you're with Judai?"

_Damn it! It's the false flirting all over again! How the hell does he get off thinking that he can just adjust any situation to meet his desires?_ "For heaven's sakes, would you stop that? I was _calling_ you a name, not _giving_ you one!"

That was the wrong thing to say if Jack's growing smile was anything to go by. "That's not what your voice is telling me."

"My voice isn't saying anything beyond how irritated it is with you!"

His denial was of no use, and the prince was starting to see a pattern in their interactions. He was never going to get out this! Jack's laugh carried itself across the field to the distant hills, the golden, heartfelt laugh almost infectious in its sincere glee.

_Almost_ infectious. The bastard was laughing at him, after all.

Yusei pulled another bow free from its quiver and turned about to try again, his hope not dead yet. Granted, it was starting to look like it wasn't going to be his day, but what point was there in giving up now that he was standing? Jack would be suspicious, anyways. He took a deep breath of the clean air and quietly exhaled.

The king had risen to his feet and was standing behind Yusei discreetly, but the raven wasn't over their argument just yet. "For the record," he whispered, the blonde leaning his head over his shoulder to better listen, "Your nickname is _pompous ass_. Or _blonde bastard_. Whichever one you prefer."

"I can't say I prefer either of them, but I don't expect anything less from you, either," Jack chuckled quietly, seemingly keeping with the calmer atmosphere Yusei was trying to instill. The prince hadn't noticed it before, but Jack's softer laughs were always a bit deeper than his usual bellowing voice. It was an insignificant thing to notice about anyone, but he still felt mildly surprised that he was picking up on it at all. He shook his head in an effort to throw free the trifling thoughts blurring his vision when the king spoke up again.

"Are you used to using shorter bows?"

"Yes, actually," Yusei admitted, although he wasn't sure why he felt hesitant in saying so. Perhaps it stemmed from the fact that they rarely talked on a personal level. "We hunt a lot back in the Satellite, and our prey is often very small, so we don't wish to completely mangle it." He then hastily added, "But I've used all different sizes of bows before, so this isn't new to me."

"What about distance? When you practice with targets, how far away are they?"

Jack likely meant it to be an innocent question, but the prince of the Satellite was not about to be talked to like he was a child—and he certainly wasn't going to have some spoiled brat try to coach him in archery. "If you're insinuating that the targets are too far away for me to hit, how about you go stand at the back of the field and I shoot you between the eyes?"

"I wasn't insinuating anything, Yusei. I'm just trying to understand why you're not dazzling me with your archery skills like Judai said you would."

_When the hell did Judai have the time to brag about me? Damn him_… "Well, Judai needs to learn to keep his mouth shut sometimes."

"So, was he lying about your skills, then?"

"No, he wasn't," the prince grit out between his teeth. Talking to Jack while said blonde stood behind him was starting to irritate him. "But he didn't need to boast about my skills either. I'm perfectly capable of demonstrating my capabilities."

"I can see that."

"_Jack_—"

The king held both hands up in mock surrender when the prince turned to start whacking him with his empty bow. "Okay, okay! You're probably a very decent hunter! You're just having an off day…"

Jack kept on rambling, but Yusei's mind drifted off to another tangent. _Hunter…I'm a decent hunter, but I've not ever had to stand and shoot something that wasn't moving. We never trained for that. Am I so used to running while I hunt that I can't shoot while standing still?_

Yusei realized what he had to do.

He wasted no time dropping the quiver and bow before shoving the king to the side, marching out onto the field and to the closest target. He grabbed the crate and turned it another direction, the bullseye now facing left instead of at Jack. Then he moved on to the others.

By the time he was done with his task, Jack had long ceased shouting across the field, demanding to know what he was doing. Instead, the king had resigned to leaning against the posts with his arms folded across his chest, watching. All ten targets now lay strewn across the wide field, considerable distance between all of them. Some Yusei simply toppled over with a quick shove while others he had to drag to another spot and then set it to face the direction he desired. Once he was done he had worked up a small sweat, the effort necessary to hide his pain monumental at this point. On his trek he had collected all of Jack's arrows and the one that had missed its mark, too, and upon returning to the posts he dropped Jack's arrows at his feet.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Jack warned quietly, although it came off more as a gentle reminder not to push his body to its limits. "Because whatever _this_ is, it doesn't look safe."

It was time to show him. "That all depends on your perspective, Jack. Are you standing behind me when I shoot?"

The blonde merely raised an eyebrow in response, a sour look on his face at the sarcastic tone the raven gave him. Deciding it would be best to start the show with a smile, the prince grinned at the king and then gave his special whistle for Stardust, who knew exactly what the whistle meant.

Then he took off sprinting.

.o.

Jack would've started shouting again at the prince for recklessly taking off at a sprint while he was still recovering from an injury if he hadn't been so stunned by the flash of Yusei's gold eyes.

It wasn't his mind playing tricks on him. Of that he was positive. He'd caught glimpses of Yusei's gaze out of the corner of his eye before, and every time without fail those eyes were a deep cerulean, speckled with flakes of amber if one looked close enough. (Not that he would let anyone peer so closely into Yusei's eyes, but that was beside the point). The amber that dusted the eye just around his pupils wasn't enough to spark a gold color, and the blue certainly wasn't capable of such a feat. The glimpse he had had of his young lover's eyes wasn't short either, as he was fairly certain that he had seen the gold for at least three seconds before Yusei took off running. The gold had definitely thrown him for a loop, and afterwards he took a moment to consider how nicely it had complimented the highlights in his hair, but what bothered him was the why and the how. How did they do that? Why did they do that?

Or was the king of Neo Domino just legitimately insane?

_Ugh, who cares about that? What the hell is he doing?_

Yusei had taken off running rather fast, and with a force that belied his injury. To the passerby, the prince would've appeared very strong and able bodied, but to the king who had held his arm while he struggled just to cross a room, he could see all the telltale signs of a man in pain. Jack felt a might bit stupid for not taking the time to notice it while the raven had been close by, but he supposed that Yusei had the strength and control over his facial expressions and movements needed to disguise his agony.

Or, at least he did when he wasn't doing anything strenuous.

The sound of Stardust's light whinnies broke the king's concentration and his head shot to the right to see the beautiful horse crest the hill and gallop out onto the archery field. The raven was on the other side of the field now, his pace beginning to slacken—from pain or tiredness, Jack couldn't tell. Stardust spotted him easily and wove in and out of the targets that now lay scattered across the field like fallen soldiers, slowing his gait to a canter and coming up alongside his master. Yusei and the horse ran alongside each other, seemingly matched in their focus.

_Stardust doesn't have his saddle. Shit—Yusei isn't thinking about trying to get on his back is he?_

Behind him Red Demon stirred anxiously, clearly wanting to join the race as well. Jack looked between his love and his own steed, mind racing with uncertainty. Should he ride out and stop whatever foolishness Yusei was up to? Or did he wait to see what happened and possibly let Yusei injure himself?

_Damn it, what do I do?_

"Hyah!"

The king spun around to see that the prince had swung up onto Stardust's back—miraculously, because there was no other way to explain it—and was taking his horse on a loop about the archery field.

Without his hands.

"Yusei! What the hell are you doing?"

The lack of response from the prince almost led Jack to believe that he hadn't heard him, but as he looped back around the king could see the grin on his face. A grin that practically dared him to wipe it from Yusei's face.

_Oh, you are so dead_—

THUNK!

The target nearest to Jack tipped backwards on impact, crashing noisily to the ground. Yusei laughed from the other side of the field, arms high in victory. The king recovered enough to look at the target that lay only a few meters away, an arrow embedded into its center.

_That arrow is more than half way in. How hard is he firing? He could've killed me if he had missed!_

THUNK!

Yusei, who was now far closer to the king, shot and hit the target across the field once more, easily taking it down. Stardust was at a full canter the entire time, giving the raven almost no time to see the target and take a good shot. Either Yusei hit it, or he didn't at all. It was almost like he was trying to…

…_hunt the targets_.

The game continued on in silence thereafter, Yusei wordlessly guiding his horse around the vast field. At first Jack pondered how they worked together in such coordination, then he noticed the subtle ways that Yusei guided his steed using his toes and heels, much like one did when they wanted their horse to gallop. After clearing the outside of the field a final time and taking down two more targets, Yusei nudged his horse into a gallop and moved him into the field.

The king had no idea he'd been digging his nails into the palms of his hands until they began to sting, and he quickly switched to clenching the fabric of his gray tunic instead to provide some distraction. The easy loop he'd been doing had switched to rapid maneuvering around the crates, the sport going from merely archery to barrel racing. Yusei's eyes almost never followed his horse's path, eyes narrowly focused on the targets instead. There were several moments in which Jack fought the urge to scream out for Yusei to stop or to watch where he was going, but a nagging voice inside him begged him to shut the hell up. If he made noise now while the prince was utterly focused, he'd throw everything off for sure, if not startle his horse and cause an accident.

_Come on, Yusei_…

Stardust turned, and Yusei swung his good leg over the horse's neck so he was sitting side-saddle. The dazzling white horse alerted his gait accordingly, and Yusei shot a target far behind him. THUNK! The target fell backwards. With wide grin he readjusted himself to sit properly and Stardust took off once more, twisting around other target and running in the opposite direction that Yusei was firing. By the time they came back around for another loop across the field, more than half the targets were down.

The king watched as Yusei whispered into his steed's ear, a wide grin spreading across his face. Stardust picked up speed and tore off through the middle of the field. A stinging sensation erupted in Jack's eyes, and as he wiped away at his face, he realized he'd been sweating profusely, too.

Stardust started for a fallen target that Yusei had already taken out, and said prince rotated himself on Stardust's back so that he was facing backwards. _What the hell is he_… Jack's heart was in his throat as the prince used only his legs to hold on to his steed, Stardust leaping over the target. While they were still airborne, Yusei hit another target. THUNK!

The white horse easily landed on the other side and slowed into a canter once again, looping around the field once again. It took Jack a moment to recognize that he'd sunk to his knees, the moist grass wetting his pants. With a loud whinny Stardust turned to head towards Jack, the soon-to-dead prince still facing backwards on his horse. Yusei freed his final arrow from his quiver, and as they passed the last standing target, Yusei stabbed the arrow right in the target hard enough to make it rock, and upon letting it go just as quickly, it fell forward.

The king felt black drift in an out of his vision as he kneeled on the ground, his heart pounding wildly in his chest to the point that it hurt. He could hear Yusei laughing in the back of his mind, but everything was such a daze at the moment that he couldn't bring himself to answer the boy's remark. It wasn't until he saw Yusei kneel in front of him that he came to, and he wrapped his arms around him so fast that they fell backwards onto Yusei, pinning him to the soft grass.

"Jack?" the young prince whispered—or was his voice just strained? Jack didn't care. He held the raven tightly against his chest, consoled by the fact that Yusei's heart was pounding just as hard as his.

"That was _amazing_, Yusei…"

.o.

.o.

"For crying out loud, Jack…"

"No. You're going to sit down, and you're going stay put."

"I told you, I'm _fine_."

"_Sit down_, Yusei."

"I'm not a child, Jack."

"Sit down, or so help me I will carry you back to Neo Domino slung over the front of my saddle. "

The raven haired prince eyed the blonde king sharply, images of him hanging over Jack's saddle like a girl taken as a spoil of war prickling at his resolve. Jack stared back with equal conviction, his nose practically touching Yusei's as they faced off. The prince testily gripped the hitching post the blonde had backed him up against, rapping his fingers against the wood before silently sliding down to the ground. The king wordlessly removed Stardust's blanket from under the stallion's saddle, which still sat on the post, and rolled it carefully before sliding it under Yusei's ankle.

"Stay. Put."

Yusei shoved Jack's face away from his. "Yes, _mother_."

"Ugh," Jack snorted, "that's the last thing I want to be."

The blonde set off to retrieve the arrows now scattered about the archery field, each now embedded in the center of the bullseyes and easy to find. Yusei scoffed to himself and removed his gloves, tossing them away. He'd have to get them again in a few minutes, but it felt nice to throw something. Stardust whinnied softly before wandering away from Yusei again, head bowed as he searched for a decent patch of grass. The Satellite prince sighed and slid down the post some more, his leg and back relieved to be sitting down. In his boot he could feel his ankle swelling, but he knew he'd only cause more pain by trying to peel it off. He'd have to settle for Jack's temporary solution for the time being.

_I'm amazed he could tell…his eyesight's not that great, after all_.

In fact, his ability to sense exactly what was wrong with Yusei's foot had been more than a little startling, like Jack was feeling the same pain. After he had gotten over crushing Yusei to his chest he had deftly gotten up and started feeling Yusei's ankle for any signs of it being broken or swollen. When he tested the prince's ankles for any signs of difference he swore, and then forced Yusei to hobble back off the field so he could rest. The prince hadn't wanted to sit down, knowing full well that once his ankle got temporary relief, he'd never be able to walk for the rest of the day. Whether or not Jack knew that was an entirely different story, but Jack wouldn't care. He'd get to hold Yusei, a territory the prince recognized he was trying to get into.

_Pervert. But still_…

The pain in Jack's eyes had been unmistakable, and the tone he bore was that of someone with a guilty conscience trying to make things right. In fact, it hadn't been the first time Yusei had seen that same look.

_But what does it mean?_

A loud grunt from the archery field caught the prince's attention, and his gaze shot up to see Jack standing over a target, one foot planted on the crate while he tried to pull the arrow free. He pulled hard once, groaning as he did when the arrow didn't come free. When the projectile didn't budge, he paused for a second wind before giving it his all and tearing the arrow free from the target. The resulting force had him tumbling backwards and onto the ground, limbs flailing awkwardly. The laugh emerged from Yusei's throat without restriction, catching the attention of the blonde man lying on the ground.

"Shut up, Yusei," he drawled in annoyance, although the warning held little bite. When Yusei's laughter didn't cease, he waved him off and continued to pry arrows from the targets.

The prince was confident that Jack wouldn't be making any smart-aleck comments about his skills for the time being, having put the king's prissy archery to shame with the impromptu ride. He half expected Jack to react poorly to being outshined, and was somewhat glad to get a different reaction. A small part of him had still wished for the king to throw a tantrum about Yusei's stunt, but admittedly Jack's actual reaction was far more to Yusei's liking. If Jack had been able to show appreciation for the prince's skill instead of jealousy, then perhaps there was still hope for his attitude to soften some.

It would certainly make his life easier if he didn't have to tolerate someone who both wanted his body but was jealous at the same time. That just spelled trouble.

After the king finished collecting arrows he decided to prop some of the fallen targets back up to their proper position, dragging them over into a line so that the next people who came out didn't have to. The Satellite prince first thought to protest their continued stay in the field, but the cool wind of the afternoon soothed him into falling silent once again. While dragging one target back in place, one large crate cracked in two and the splinters fell everywhere. After tossing the pieces off the field, Jack decided to inspect the rest first before moving them. A few were badly damaged from the elements and the beating they took from the prince, and so Yusei helped keep a tally of how many needed replacing. The sun was hidden by the clouds for a brief time, lightly shadowing the area in gray. Glancing up, Yusei could see thick beams of light piercing the layers of cloud and illuminating spots on the ground with gold.

_I wish I were artist…that would be lovely to capture_.

_Sfft!_

Red Demon whinnied and pulled at his reins for moment at the sound, feet stomping impatiently. Yusei's gaze darted about for the cause of the noise, and spotted a black rod sticking up from the ground near the end of the hitching post by Red Demon's legs.

Glancing briefly at the busy king, Yusei clenched his teeth and drew himself up enough to crawl across the grass, hissing minutely every time his bad leg connected with the ground. Luckily for him crawling didn't put much weight on the ankle, and the grass was very thick from having a good rain. Red Demon watched him with wild eyes as he crawled past, stomping his feet impatiently. As Yusei reached the end of the post he found the rod, which revealed itself to be an arrow when Yusei pulled it from the ground. It looked just like the arrows they had been using earlier, pristine and black with carefully sculpted feathers at the end. That wasn't what caught his attention, though.

It was the note tied to the arrow with a small piece of twine.

He immediately looked out to the rim of the forest alongside the edge of the field, eyes scanning the trees for any signs of life beyond birds. Nothing stuck out, but then again, whoever sent the note would've been seeking to remain concealed. Yusei bit his lip, unsure if he needed to call Jack for help or not. Had someone been trying to kill them, sending a note first wouldn't have made sense at all. But the person obviously wanted the message to be delivered discreetly, and it was _that_ that Yusei didn't trust. What he didn't trust more was that the sender didn't shoot the arrow anywhere that Jack might find it—only Yusei.

_This isn't good. And whoever it is has access to top grade Neo Domino arrows_.

Crawling back to his spot as fast as he could (without injuring himself), the Satellite prince laid down on the grass and pulled the twine and note from the black arrow before wedging the projectile in with the others in the nearby quiver. Jack was still busy moving pieces from another collapsed target, and wasn't paying attention. Taking a nervous gulp of air, Yusei glanced once more out at the forest before opening the message.

_You truly are the pride of the Satellite hunters, Yusei. Good show_.

_J_.

It was…a compliment?

Yusei looked back out at the trees again, expecting to see someone emerge. No one did.

He glanced back down at the note, noticing that there was still more that his finger had covered. He moved it away to see another, smaller line of elegant script.

_Just be careful with that leg of yours. You only get two, after all_.

So not only was J watching, he or she was a good observer, too. The raven wasn't sure what to make of that. And what did _J_ stand for? Yusei knew of three people with a name that began with J, and he suspected none of them. Jack had his weird quirks, but having a person lie in wait in the forest and send messages via arrows just didn't fit him at all. If anything, sending a message by weapon indicated psychotic tendencies. Jack had more anger management issues than he could shake a stick at, but Yusei never worried that the man might try to murder him in his sleep_. Steal my pants, definitely, but certainly not kill me_.

Judai simply wouldn't do anything of the sort, even as a joke. His jokes were often ones that created a huge mess, but nothing that could potentially injure anyone. Johan was big and loud, and if he were to compliment Yusei, big and loud is how he would do it. And he would likely crack the prince's back with his bear hug, too.

The prince simply couldn't make heads or tails of it. The writing demonstrated skill and practice, and if he hadn't noticed the subtle differences in the script he might've mistaken the handwriting for Jack's. Jack was intelligent enough know that Yusei would recognize his handwriting, and wouldn't be foolish enough to think changing the slant and a few of the letters might convince the prince otherwise, only further enforcing that it wasn't him.

_But if not him, then who_—

"You all right?"

Yusei's gasp was enough to hide the quick clenching of his fist and the crinkle of paper as he crushed the note in his hand. Jack was standing near his head, leaning over him and blocking out the sun. He nodded quickly. "I'm fine."

"Ready to leave?"

"I suppose, yes."

Jack nodded silently and stepped away for a moment to grab Stardust's bridle, giving the prince time to shove the note in his pocket. Jack returned a moment later with Stardust is tow, using his reins to guide him to the hitching post. Once the horse was saddled the king squatted down to help Yusei sit up, slowly pulling the raven haired prince into a stand. Jack's arm wound around Yusei's waist carefully, the prince's arm reaching up behind Jack's back to grab his shoulder. His ankle literally pulsed with the sudden rush of blood to the limb, and the soreness that had temporarily faded returned in full force, eliciting a sharp hiss from Yusei.

"Do you want to ride with me instead?" Jack offered, clearly upset about the prince's condition. Yusei didn't meet his gaze, too fearful of the pain in his eyes that would match the thrum of regret in his voice. Did he feel like he was responsible for Yusei pushing himself so hard? "I'll go slowly."

"It's okay, Jack. Stardust knows I'm hurt."

And he did. The steed's eyes were round with sadness as he watched his friend limp towards him unsteadily, much like he had when Yusei was first getting used to walking again. Without instruction the silver horse kneeled down so that the prince might climb on by himself, much to the surprise of Jack. Yusei let go of the king to take Stardust's mane, but Jack's large hands remained at his hips until he was seated completely. Yusei could feel the king's strength even in his fingers, the slightly calloused palms holding him so firmly that there was no chance of falling over.

When he let go, the prince could feel ghost hands along his sides.

"You start going. I'll be right there." Jack promised quietly once Stardust rose. Yusei nodded and nudged his steed into a slow walk off the field and out to the downtrodden grass that marked the path back to the main road. Only once he was far enough away from the field did he recognize the tremendous worry he now bore on his shoulders, that of the secret message in his pocket. It was like carrying a dragon egg around with him—he didn't know when the dam would come after him to take back her baby.

_What if…it's that person from the forest? The one with the voice like Jack?_

Thundering hoof beats alerted Yusei to the appearance of the king, and the blonde slowed his horse as they came up alongside Yusei and Stardust. The prince hoped the worry didn't show on his face, but it was hard to tell when his leg throbbed so much. Jack looked prepared to say something, but the look on the prince's face must've been enough to waylay whatever it was he was thinking. Instead he pulled Yusei's forgotten gloves from his pocket and handed them over, the raven silently taking them and nodding his thanks. Jack's eyes watched Yusei's hand as he carefully stuffed the gloves into a small pouch on Stardust's saddle, and when the prince sat upright again the king took his free hand in his own, threading their fingers together. Without the gloves in the way Yusei could feel every curve of the man's hand, from the thick bones to the slight muscles to the rough callouses. He allowed himself a moment to map out the king's hand before he considered pulling away, but Jack sensed his urgency to flee and held fast, using his thumb to stroke Yusei's hand.

_I suppose that someone will have to go through Jack first if he or she wants to get to me_…

Yusei reluctantly squeezed Jack's hand in return as a way of thanks, and the two headed back to Neo Domino.

.o.

Yusei sighed lightly to himself, and it took every ounce of Jack's self-control not to crawl over to him and wrap his body around the smaller man.

The two monarchs were out on Jack's balcony, the afternoon sun shining brightly despite the continuous reappearance of clouds to block its light. The air had cooled some, but the heat of the morning still hung in the air and made for a comfortable atmosphere. When the two returned home, the blonde suggested taking lunch back to their room to eat where it was more comfortable, but Yusei hadn't been ready to go back inside again. Jack agreed to eat outside on the condition that Yusei let the doctors look at his ankle again, and once the physicians gave the prince a thorough dressing down to, the king helped the raven back up the stairs to their room. Jack sat Yusei down outside before returning with as many pillows as he could find strewn about his room. Together, the two constructed a nest of pillows and a few blankets on the gray tile of the balcony, and ate lunch in a comfortable silence.

As soon as the prince finished eating (leaving most of his food untouched, again) he lay down on the pillows to look up at the sky, nimble fingers resting on his flat stomach as his gaze swept across the drifting clouds. The urge to join Yusei by his side and hold him close was overwhelming, but like he often did, Yusei had fallen into a strange stillness that was impossible to penetrate or interrupt.

In fact, he'd been like that since they left the archery field. Yusei had looked simply elated from having literally destroyed all the targets out on the field, but after Jack came back for him so that they could go home, he'd slipped back into the uncomfortable silence that had characterized so many of their moments together. He had been in pain, that much was obvious, but something had upset him, too. The king had wanted to ask; to talk it out, if he could. But the look in Yusei's eyes as they rode home said enough—_I'm not telling, Jack_.

Even more distressing was the way Yusei violently tore their hands apart after a few minutes of riding. The king honestly believed that he had covered some ground between them if the way Yusei gently squeezed his hand was anything to go by, but it seemed the prince could hardly tolerate even _that_. The blonde spent the rest of the ride grasping at straws trying to figure out what the raven's limit was when it came to touching, confused by the mixed signals Yusei was giving him. _He lets us cuddle in the morning, but the moment I get intimate he gets violent. We briefly argue, he flirts, and then gets upset when I kiss him. He lets me hug him on the field, but when we hold hands he gets angry and tells me to stop. Seriously—what guy does that?_

Of course, part of Jack's confusion may have had something to do with his understanding of Seto Kaiba's relationship with his consort, a chess master and game enthusiast by the name of Yugi Moto. The two were practically polar opposites of each other, much like he and Yusei were, but unlike Jack, Seto was getting laid. A lot. During one visit to Neo Domino, Seto had taken the time to rub it in—er, _explain_—the boundaries of his and Yugi's relationship. Much to the blonde's surprise, he and Yugi butted heads quite frequently, and about everything. But beneath the rigid outer shell that many bore witness to, there was a deep understanding between the two of undefined magnitude. In public they may have seemed at odds with the other, but Jack had seen their interactions with each other when two men thought no one was looking. A flick of the eyes here, a small brush of hands there. Everything they did betrayed the deep connection that they had, and Jack couldn't believe that everyone else missed it. For God's sake, they had continued to hold hands while they were arguing, once.

It was that spark, that link between them that made the pair unstoppable, and it was driving Jack insane not being able to establish the same cohesion with Yusei. At first the king had been a bit unsure about Yusei when they first met, but after their small scuffle on the patio he knew that Yusei that certain spark that could match his own energy tenfold. What left him beyond confused was the fact that despite such harmony, they continued to clash like swords on a battlefield. Hard, unrelenting, and at times, dangerous.

Still, the blonde refused to give up. Yusei's loner attitude might have worked for him while he was in the Satellite, but now that he was Jack's lover, he couldn't continue avoid everything. _One day, he will open up to me_, Jack thought. _And when he does, I will listen to everything he has to say_.

Yusei sighed again, and the king watched the gentle rise and fall of his folded hands on his stomach. He couldn't tell if the princeling was awake or not, but suddenly urged to rectify the situation.

_Screw patience_.

Getting on his hands and knees, the blonde quietly crawled across the smooth tiles of his balcony to the resting prince, the floor warm under his hands. The raven didn't stir with his proximity, and continued to doze under the quiet afternoon sun. Jack stopped short of crawling over him completely, spotting a flash of skin at the hem of Yusei's pants. Using his teeth to lift the offending fabric out of the way, Jack exposed Yusei's belly to the cool air before promptly lowering his mouth to the smooth skin and sucking gently. This garnered no reaction from the sleeping prince, but Jack allowed it for the time behind, knowing it wouldn't last long.

Using his tongue, he carefully dipped the wet muscle into Yusei's bellybutton, teasing the skin as gently as he could without being too light in his affections. His efforts produced a soft moan from Yusei's lips, but Jack couldn't tell if it was in reaction to his ministrations or a dream he may have been having. He licked a wet trail from Yusei's bellybutton to the hem of his tunic, pushing the shirt up as he went. The farther his tongue traveled the more he had to lean over the raven's body before he submitted to inching himself onto the pillows. Once his weight settled on the cushions, Yusei's eyes slowly crept open.

Jack waited for his outburst, but was pleasantly surprised with the prince's sleepy response. "Jack?"

"Yusei," he greeted calmly.

The tired sapphires gazed at him curiously. "What're you doing?"

"Something you'll enjoy," was the king's response.

Yusei had been prepared to ask what when the blonde's tongue descended again on his toned stomach, eliciting a gasping "oh" sound from the prince. Yusei's hands fell away from his stomach quickly and landed at his sides, fingers clutching the fabric tightly. Jack smirked as he felt the raven's legs tremble between his thighs, the teasing sensation on his torso almost too much for the smaller man to bear.

_It's still so hard to believe that such a gorgeous specimen is a virgin_…

A virgin that was his.

Pleased with the gentle gasping breaths coming from the pink lips of the prince, Jack inched himself even further onto the pillows with Yusei, mouth crawling up the length of tan skin to the prince's chest. Yusei's gaze flickered towards Jack's in aching trepidation, knowing full well what the king intended to do and anxious of the results. Jack offered a crooked smirk before leaning down to kiss the tender skin once more, drawing harsher noises from the squirming prince. His lips barely grazed a plum colored nipple, and already the young man beneath him was arching up, groaning behind his teeth. Running his fingers up the raven's ribs, he teased the skin ever so gently, provoking more fidgeting and raspy breaths.

He kept his hands away from Yusei's pectorals for a moment, lulling the prince into a false sense of security before bearing down completely on him and enveloping the nipple with his mouth, suckling on it as hard as he could. Yusei bit back a scream as he latched on to Jack's hair, fingers tangling themselves in the gold locks while he fought for breath. The king kissed and sucked at the nipple until it was glaringly red and swollen, pausing to chill it with his breath before dragging his tongue across the expanse of skin between the hard pectorals and repeat the same procedure on the other. During all this Yusei continued to pant and gasp for a breath, hands sliding back and forth between the blonde's hair and down the back of his shirt to rake his nails across the white skin.

Jack suddenly pulled away with a loud popping sound, terribly pleased with Yusei's reactions. The prince gasped again in surprise before falling silent, eyes snapping open in confusion when the king didn't continue. His hands came down from Jack's hair carefully, like he was suddenly treading on dangerous ground. Jack sat back on his heels and grinned. The tender image of the frightened prince was heartbreakingly sweet, and Jack quickly gave back in to those sapphire eyes, the raven's orbs shimmering like rippling water. The prince's tense frame slowly relaxed as the blonde took his hand and kissed the knuckles individually, murmuring under his breath little promises. A tan hand rose and found its way to Jack's thigh, fingers tentatively running up and down the pulsing chords of muscle.

Lilac eyes glanced down at the prince's face, and found that Yusei was watching him back ever so lovingly, an adoring (if not slightly naughty) look in his eyes. Jack leaned forward again and laid his hands on either side of the raven's head, head bowed far enough that his blonde tendrils hung down over Yusei's face. The prince daringly took one of the thin locks between his lips and tugged gently, urging Jack to lean forward even farther until their noses were practically touching. Yusei continued to touch him, hands roaming over any spare muscle that they might find. Jack closed his eyes so that he might feel sensation to an even greater degree, and sighed the prince's name as deft fingers slid briefly between his legs. "_Uhn_…Yusei…"

"Hm?" Came the raven's voice in response, hands gingerly wandering their way back up to Jack's body. The blonde tried not to come undone at Yusei's touch.

"We haven't kissed once this whole time. Did you know that?"

"I haven't really thought about it before," Yusei admitted a bit nervously. "It seems like we've done so much more than that already."

"Then perhaps," Jack suggested, taking Yusei's hands before they slid back down to cup his stirring erection and interlocking their fingers together, "we should fix that?"

The prince didn't once bat an eye as the king leaned forward and pinned his hands above his head, their faces inches apart. "You don't want to wait for the perfect moment, then? A romantic walk on the beach, or perhaps at a dance?"

"No," Jack smirked, "I prefer spontaneity."

Oh, gods that look was irresistible. "_Then why don't you surprise me, already?_"

_Jack…_

_Jack._

_Jack!_

"Jack!"

The king shot up so fast the prince barely had time to clear a path for him to get to. Yusei fell back on his butt in the attempt not to have their foreheads collide, and stared incredulously at the blonde haired man. "Whoa! Calm down, Jack."

Said blonde haired man blinked and relaxed his body, unsure of why he jolted so easily. He stared forward at the white washed wall for a moment, willing his heart to slow and resume a normal pace. As he sighed the world slowly stopped spinning and his sense of equilibrium returned. A quick survey of the area told him he was still on his balcony, still with Yusei, and the sun had barely moved in its path across the sky.

He paused to lay a hand on his face, trying his hardest not to look as if he were checking his temperature. It also gave him time to glance down, and he barely withheld a sigh of relief when he saw the lack of bulge in his pants.

_Dear God…I'm not sure what's worse—the fact that none of that was real or the fact that Yusei watched me dream it_…

After a moment's consideration of his surroundings, though, the king warily glanced at the young charge sitting only few feet away from him, unsure of how to address the situation. Yusei was staring at him quite openly, utterly confused with what had just transpired and unsure as to how he should respond. _That's probably for the best_. Calmly (perhaps too calmly) he innocently phrased, "Was I asleep?" _Damn it! Of course I was asleep! Why else would he wake me? Stupid question!_

Yusei nodded cautiously, as if he could hear the argument in the king's head and was afraid one wrong movement might set him off again. "Yeah, for a little bit. I was going to let you sleep a little bit longer, but then you starting talking to yourself, and you didn't sound too happy."

_Oh God_, _here it comes. Leave it to fate to give me an erotic dream right in front of Yusei_. Jack could feel the hell already. He almost chocked on his words, "What did I…say?"

Yusei shrugged. "I couldn't tell. It wasn't language I'd heard before." The prince paused to think. "I'd like to say that it sounded like gibberish, but there were several words that you repeated and you seemed to be forming sentences."

_Wait_.

The reality of Jack's situation smacked him upside the head. Here he'd been concerned about waking with a flushed face and a telltale bulge in his pants, only for his—_heritage_—to make a comeback, instead.

_Mother, I think I'm beginning to understand why you slept so little those past few years_…

"I had no idea you were bilingual." The blonde almost missed the comment, lost in his thoughts, and was surprised at the look on the raven's face. Questioning, but not upset. "You never mentioned that before."

_Because it wasn't a secret you were meant to hear_… "I never mentioned it because I'm not bilingual," Jack stated with as much smugness as he could muster. "I'm _trilingual_."

That got a faint, wry smile out of Yusei, although it was hard to tell if he meant it or was irritated. "Pray tell, then, what were you saying?"

_Damn_. "What you heard wasn't an actual language. I'm trilingual, yes, but a friend of mine and I came up with a secret language as kids. We used it well into our teens to avoid having our guardians figure out what we were saying. A language like that is…hard to forget."

Ugh, how did actors do it? Jack couldn't fathom it. Lying wasn't second nature to him, but he could pull it off quite skillfully when he tried. But lying to someone he didn't know and lying to a potential mate were two different things. Strangers tended not to pick up on quirks quite as quickly—and thank God for that. But Yusei paid more attention than most gave him credit for.

The king's attention was diverted when a small chuckle escaped the prince's lips, and he glanced back up at the Satellite prince curiously. "What's so funny?"

"The idea of you and friend making a secret language as kids…it's just not what I expected. It's so…" Yusei seemed unable to find the right word. Jack wasn't sure where the prince was going with the train of thought, and interrupted on his behalf.

"Weird?" he suggested.

"Normal," the raven breathed. "It's normal." The idea appeared almost overwhelming for the prince to comprehend.

The blonde frowned at the use of the word "normal". "It's funny because it's _normal?_"

"No, not exactly. It's funny because it just doesn't seem like something you'd do." Yusei had settled back down with his back against the marble wall around the balcony, a content but faraway look in his eyes. Jack warily crawled over to his side and sat next to him, a small gap of air between them. The prince said nothing to the intrusion, allowing the king to relax some.

"Well," Jack started, "how would you know what's normal for me do?"

"I don't. But then again," he turned his head so that he might look Jack in the eye a bit better, "just about everything you do seems to leave me confused."

Well that was…honest. And completely unexpected. Jack blinked lightly so as not to let Yusei know he stunned him a little bit with that one. I can't believe _I just realized it…we're actually having a heart-to-heart conversation_. "You make it sound like I'm out of control."

"You're probably not," Yusei admitted with a shrug of his slim shoulders, Jack grumbling at the mention of _probably_, "but to an outsider, one who barely knows you? You kind of are."

"I am _not_ out of control."

"Oh, really? So it's normal to go running into the halls stark naked to tell people to be quiet because you have a headache?"

Jack snorted, looking away from the prince. "You say that like I do it frequently."

"That's because you do."

"What? How do you—"

"Because Mikage warned me about it. Said she didn't want me to get a nasty shock," the raven interrupted. "Or how about blowing up at every little thing? Just this morning I moved your crown just a foot to the right on the table to see if you'd notice—"

"That was _you?!_"

Yusei fell quiet, but the air of self-satisfaction clung to him like briars did to hair. "And as it turned out, I was right. You did notice, and you got mad because it wasn't something you planned. That's exactly what I'm talking about. You're a control freak. You hate it when things don't go exactly as you've planned them out on your little personal chessboard."

_How ironic that he describe my life like a chessboard_… "Doesn't everybody?" Jack was well aware that most of the world operated on a spur-of-the-moment basis, but he was curious to see where the conversation might lead. They hadn't had this engaging a conversation since the night he saved Yusei.

"No, _actually_," said the prince with a heavy dose of emphasis, although there was a small, uncharacteristic smile on his face. "They don't. Some people take life as it comes and deal with it step by step." Oh, yes, Yusei was well aware that Jack was trying to reel him in, too. The king could see it in the younger man's eyes. "And _most_ people don't get upset if their possessions have been moved over an inch to the side."

"Most people don't wear expensive crowns," Jack countered, although with less venom than he expected. Yusei just rolled his eyes in exasperation like an older brother might to his little brother when an idea went over his head, but it was clear that he had won the argument, so to speak. To be honest, Jack wasn't sure what that argument was exactly, but at least Yusei pointed out what he had been meaning to.

They sat in silence for a moment, the sounds of the town below amplified by the wind that carried the noise. The raven sighed and leaned his head back against the pillar behind him, eyes closed. The king was almost content to sit in silence for another hour when something else came to mind. "Yusei, what makes you think you're an outsider?"

His question was met with a "hm?" from Yusei, who opened an eye to look at him curiously. "I'm sorry?"

"Outsider. You said that you were an outsider."

The prince closed his eye again before snorting lightly and giving a faint smile, although there was sorrow beneath it. "Am I not an outsider, Jack? Am I not from another land?"

"You are if we're talking in the political sense, I suppose," the blonde acquiesced, "but I meant in that you felt like you didn't belong. I want to know why."

Yusei looked like he wasn't sure what the correct answer was. "Because I've known nothing but the Satellite my whole life and now I'm suddenly in a foreign land with a foreign king?"

"Surely that's not why you feel like an outsider, Yusei." Jack admonished, staring down at the raven pointedly. "I've watched you interact with the others. You're always so polite, like being here is a privilege but fear if you make someone mad you'll be sent home."

"Will I get sent home if I make you mad enough?" Yusei asked in a joking tone.

"No, Yusei," the king groused. "Why are you so skittish, anyway? You'd think that you weren't invited here by the way you walk around. You're always so quiet."

"I wasn't invited here, Jack. Remember?"

_Dear God in heaven_… The king fought the urge to growl and roll his eyes at the prince for purposefully being obstinate. "Invited, dragged here against your will, same difference." That got a pleasant reaction out of Yusei. Not. "The point is, I want you to feel like you can call this home; a place you can return to. But it seems like no matter what I do, you keep up just enough walls to make everything feel distant. Why, Yusei?"

A real outsider would have looked at the two and thought the look on Yusei's face to be one of defeat, but just sitting beside him told Jack more than enough about the younger man's swirling feelings. Yusei looked away from the king to stare his hands where they rested on his knees, eyes focusing and unfocusing. Something about him felt cold, like he was beyond anger and into an entirely new emotion.

"Did you ever think that maybe," said Yusei slowly, "the walls were coming up on their own? That after a while, I couldn't take any more "new" things?"

He groaned and buried his head between his arms for a moment, freeing up space for Jack to talk. But he left the silence hanging in the air, unable to muster anything appropriate. Once it became clear that Jack had nothing to say, the prince continued. "I don't shut people out on purpose, Jack. And I don't act distant because I want to. But sometimes…" he paused, taking a shaking breath. "Sometimes, everything feels like it's too much."

"…why?"

"Why? _Why?_" Yusei shouted, not sparing a glance at the king at all. "Why does everything feel like too much? Let's consider that, shall we? I have lived my whole life in one of the most secluded locations on the continent. You, the illustrious king of Neo Domino, have spent a great deal of your life _here_. Are we tracking, so far? Good. One day, just out of the blue, you show up and say that you're going to take me away. I, who have only lived in one place for eighteen years, am suddenly being moved to a new location without warning, a chance to say goodbye, or the time to let the shock settle in. You are fine and dandy, as we are going back to your home. I, however, am _not_ going back to my home. Do you see any connections there, Jack? Any at all?"

It became one of those moments where he wasn't sure if he should speak or not, but the prince swooped in before he drew another breath. His eyes alone almost brought Jack to tears, and the pleading tone in his voice didn't help.

"Have you seen the Satellite, Jack? Have you truly looked at it? Have you compared it at all to Neo Domino? Do you understand just how vastly different they are?" Crying, or at the least tearing up, wouldn't have detracted from the pain in his words at all, but the young prince maintained composure beyond the capacity of most men. Jack wasn't sure if he should be proud or find it crushing.

"We come from different worlds, Jack. _Very_ different worlds. You can't expect me to just suddenly fit in like nothing's changed. Like I've never left home." Yusei looked him full on in the eyes now, and they were shimmering with water. Yet, no tears fell. "Did you know that I hunted for the village's food at least three days out of the week? Not for sport, not for a trophy, but because if I didn't my people would starve?

"Did you know that my father helps put the houses back together? That he carves toys for the children? That my mother is out with all the other mothers in the gardens? On her knees in the mud, pulling up weeds? That I've been doing my own laundry since I was a kid? That all my friends are as common as blades of grass? That I have no idea what the ocean looks like even though it's _right there_ because I'm afraid I might fall in love with it, with _this?_ That I'm afraid that all of _this_ is going to change me into someone I'm not?"

He fell utterly silent, and the weight of his words made it seem like he had fallen to his knees.

"I don't want to change, Jack. I don't want to stop being who I am. I don't want to be pampered or showered with gifts or learn to expect others to do things for me. I don't want any of that."

He fell to the side, head on Jack's shoulder. Without thinking, the defeated king lifted his arm to allow the prince to scoot closer, and the young man took the invitation without question, sighing into Jack's collarbone.

"_That's why I feel like an outsider, Jack. Because none of this is something I want to be._"

Something hot and wet dripped onto Jack's skin, and the heat seared his body to the core. Yusei didn't sob once, or tremble, or choke on his own tears. He was strong for that.

But he wasn't strong enough to hold that one back.

"_I don't want you to be something else, Yusei. I want us to be something that we can become _together_._"

Yusei pulled his head back in shock, but Jack's arm still maintained its firm grip on his shoulder. The king finally realized that the two of them were pressed against the other entirely, hearts pounding in syncopation against each other's chests. Their faces, once so politely distanced were suddenly so close they shared the same air. It took all of the king's heart not to lean in completely, to cross the ground that suddenly lay before them both. Yusei, it seemed, had caught on to how closely they sat together as well, and the water that had flooded his eyes came to a screeching halt out of shock. The king could feel through his bones that the prince sought to get away from the situation, to escape the reality of what they were about to do, but took his chin in hand before the raven could put the wall back up.

"_Don't_," Jack begged, urging Yusei's azure eyes to meet his own.

The smaller man tried to turn his head out of the blonde's grasp, but either out of failing strength or acceptance, he stayed put. Feeling the window slowly opening into what he hoped to be a series of opportunities from now until the end of time, Jack carefully slid his hand back from Yusei's chin to his jaw, lightly caressing the skin before his fingers traveled down the column of corded, tan flesh that was Yusei's neck to the papery skin over his thin collarbone. The prince made no effort to stop the king's wandering hand, eyes so captivated with Jack's lilac orbs that he appeared to forget all time and space.

"Jack, I—"

"Shh…" the king hushed, voice dropping down into the smokiest of registers he could muster. The tone alone caught the raven's attention. "Don't think. Just feel."

Jack's hand had slid well past Yusei's neck, traveling down the expanse of his toned chest to his supple waist, an area he was thoroughly familiar with now. Yusei's eyes flickered down briefly to try and catch a glimpse of what Jack was doing, but the blonde leaned in closely to divert his attention once again.

"_Feel_, Yusei."

The shake of a head. Gods, was that fear in Yusei's eyes? The king hoped it wasn't, but if was, he prayed that it was not him that caused it. "I can't…" Yusei breathed, voice slipping into a rasp. No, it wasn't fear in his eyes. Jack felt his mouth briefly go dry and his manhood begin to throb. What Yusei felt was something _entirely_ different.

"It's okay…" He barely felt the knock of their foreheads together, too caught up in the warm breath escaping from the parted, soft lips in front of him. Yusei's eyes were so close to his own it was amazing their eyelashes weren't brushing, but the blur that was the prince's blue eyes faded into obscurity in favor of heightening Jack's taste buds. Yusei gave a sharp gasp as pale fingers slid up the back of his shirt much like they had many days ago in a courtyard in the Satellite, but this time, he didn't jerk away. The blonde took this as a good sign, and without looking away from his raven lover he took his hand and drew it to his chest. Jack's heart pounded madly beneath his breast, and Yusei could feel it, fingers spreading across his pectoral on their own accord to further feel the pulsing muscle beneath his chest. It was the only time Yusei looked away from Jack, thoroughly shocked by evidence of the blonde's own nervousness at the face of being intimate for the first time with each other.

_I wanted to kiss you after I rescued you, Yusei. I wanted to kiss you and hold you and cry so badly. You felt the same way, too. I know that you did. But you can't remember any of it_…

Jack nuzzled Yusei's cheek and planted a slow kiss on his lower jaw to draw him away from his fascination with the blonde's heart and back to topic at hand. Yusei was slow to respond, afraid to go back to facing reality. Sensing the nervousness the blond placed an addition kiss on the raven's temple and ran his fingers through his hair in an effort to relax him, pressing their foreheads together again and rumbling gently like a lethargic tiger. Yusei sighed appreciatively and leaned into the touch, but leapt away once more when Jack carefully started to drag him closer, pulling his thin legs across his hips until the point that Yusei straddled him. The prince allowed himself to be moved, but each second felt like a lifetime as they slowly adjusted themselves to each other, realigning their rhythms. Yusei's arms suddenly came up to rest at Jack's shoulders, clawing their way around his neck until the two of them were securely locked together. For good measure, the king drew his arms even tighter around the raven, pulling his hips forward until Yusei was forced to sit up and look down at Jack, his warming sex pressed completely against Jack's firm stomach. Slowly, so slowly Jack silently beckoned for Yusei to reach out to him, to make the first move. The prince faltered in his confidence, eyes widening at the prospect of initiating the fire between them. The blonde waited. Waited so that he could show him just how deep love could run if you had the right person in your arms.

_Maybe this is what will spark the memory. Maybe this will bring it back. Maybe _this_ will help remind you that you love me too_…

After what felt like a millennia crammed into a second, Yusei finally began to lean into the embrace, eyes closing as Jack tilted his head up to meet—

"Your Majesty?"

Yusei was gone so fast Jack wondered if he had been dreaming again. But the sudden wash of cool air told him that he hadn't been dreaming at all. Everything that transpired had been very real, and it had set him back to the very beginning.

_White king to E1_…

"Your Majesty?" Godwin's head appeared through the curtains to Jack's balcony, eyes curious. Jack didn't meet his gaze, unsure of just what it was that he should be feeling. "A letter came from Johann Anderson of the North Scandinavian-Denmark Order. King Judai has to cut his visit short due to some minor complications back home. He asked that I inform you of his departure."

"…when is he leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning, Your Highness."

A sigh. "Very well."

"Should I go find Prince Yusei?"

"No. No… He needs to be left alone, right now."

.o.

**And now for chapter 16.3, the third part of what was originally a two part chapter! I love keeping my promises…**

**Ever notice that so far that both Jack and Yusei have dirty dreams, and neither of them gets anywhere? Judai, of course, gets to bed his little Johan in his dream, but the story isn't about him, now is it? XD I should make that my new thing. The main characters all have dirty dreams but they don't ever go anywhere, so everyone's left frustrated.**

**I want to thank you guys for supporting me in this endeavor and for all your encouragement. I never thought that I would get this far in the story or if people would even take to it, but I'm glad to see that I was wrong. You are all some of the most wonderful people that I've had the chance to write with, and I appreciate your helpful comments and inspiring reviews.**

**Rock at out, y'all. You're amazing. **


End file.
